Formula One world champion Lando Norris has extended his contract with McLaren until at least the end of 2030, saying Saturday he would be happy to finish his career with a team that feels like home.
The 26-year-old Briton, who won the past two races in Hungary and the Netherlands, announced the new deal to McLaren employees during a friends and family day at the team's Woking factory.
McLaren said the agreement also includes a multi-year option that could keep Norris with the team beyond 2030. The driver was presented with an MCL39 from last season after becoming McLaren's first drivers' champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
Speaking to reporters earlier Saturday, Norris said the timing of the contract extension was ideal for maintaining the team's morale and motivation. He also dismissed media speculation about the value of the deal, saying figures reported in some outlets were wide of the mark.
"At the minute there's really no reason to want to even put a thought into somewhere else," he said. "I kind of want my whole career to be with McLaren because I'm happy here and I don't want to change.
"I want to fight with McLaren even when things are not going well and I want to win with McLaren when things are going amazingly well. So yeah, I'll be very, very happy at the end of my career to say that McLaren was the only team I've been with."
Norris made his McLaren F1 debut in 2019 after joining the team in 2017 as a test and simulator driver. He has now won 13 Grands Prix with the reigning constructors' champions, as well as 18 pole positions.
"This extension gives us important continuity and reinforces our confidence in the direction we are taking together," team principal Andrea Stella said. "With him and Oscar (Piastri), we know we can count not only on one of the strongest partnerships but also on one of the most united and close-knit teams in Formula One."
More money but not as much as Verstappen and Hamilton
Some media reports have suggested the new deal would put Norris third in Formula One's pay rankings, behind only Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Hamilton.
One report speculated that Norris' new salary could be around 60 million euros ($69.6 million) a year.
"I feel like I should earn as much as that," he said with a grin in response to a mention of what four-time champion Verstappen and seven-time champion Hamilton might be earning.
"But it's certainly not close to the figures that I've been seeing online, sadly ... of course it's a bit more, as it is with any job when you kind of extend and do those things, but it's certainly not close to the level of Lewis or Max, which in a way it shouldn't be, because I've not achieved as much as what they've achieved in their careers.
"I'm working on it, you know. I don't know when my next extension or renewal would be and hopefully I can then try and match it one day. I dream of seeing those figures that I've seen online so I'll keep dreaming of them one day."
Norris said there had been some interest from other teams, but none had made an approach, and it would have felt like a betrayal to go elsewhere.
"Really, it was quite the easiest decision I've had to make in my career so far," he said.