McLaren Junior Lando Norris brushed off claims he could make the move to Formula 1 as early as 2018.
Norris, who is currently racing in the European Formula 3 championship, made his F1 test debut last week. He was second fastest in the second day of testing, just two tenths of a second slower than Ferrari’s Sebastien Vettel.
The 17-year-old claimed the test went “better than expected” but doesn’t believe it will lead to an F1 seat next season.
“McLaren is trying to keep Fernando [Alonso] and Stoffel [Vandoorne],” he told Autosport. “It’s not really up to me.
“I don’t think it’s going to be F1 next year. It’s more likely to be Formula 2 or Super Formula.
“I don’t think the test changes anything for this season – nothing is planned. For this year, the focus is on F3 and I hope to win it.”
Norris is currently second in the F3 standings, with five wins from six rounds.
Meanwhile, Alonso is yet to confirm he will continue at McLaren beyond the end of the season. The team has claimed it is doing everything it can to keep its star driver, but continued engine problems have led to speculation Alonso will leave when his contract expires.
Norris may not expect to get the call up to F1 next year, but the teenager is in prime position to become the next driver to jump from F3 to F1, if Alonso gives up on the McLaren-Honda dream.
Comments.
Loading comments…