Lando Norris has said a future partnership with Max Verstappen at McLaren would be welcome, while stressing strong support for current team-mate Oscar Piastri, as the British Grand Prix approaches with major title implications for Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren in both championships.
The four-time world champion Verstappen has been linked with McLaren despite a contract with Red Bull that currently runs until 2028, while Norris enters the Silverstone weekend fifth in the standings after a mixed start to the F1 title defence.
Norris underlined that long-term McLaren deals are already in place but is relaxed about fresh speculation around Verstappen’s future, and repeated admiration for multiple world champions Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando
Alonso, while adding that Piastri continues to push performance levels inside the team.
There's always rumours, Norris told BBC Sport.There are always things up in the air. But I know that we both have our names penned in at McLaren for much longer. So it's always funny seeing things come up when you're questioning how it's even possible.I welcome anyone as a team-mate. Of course, Max is, alongside Lewis [Hamilton]and Fernando [Alonso]worldchampions, I would sayhe's alongside some of the best. You always want to try and prove yourself against the best. And the best way to prove yourself against the best is to have them as your team-mate. So I'm very open to anyone being my team-mate, honestly. I would love Max to be my team-mate. I would love if Lewis was my team-mate. I would love if Fernando was my team-mate. But I also like Oscar as a team-mate. You know, he's honestly an unbelievable driver. I have a very strong team-mate that pushes me.
Verstappen is currently seventh in the drivers' standings, 98 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, which keeps attention on a reported contract clause that could allow talks with other teams if Verstappen sits outside the top two by the start of August's summer break.
Reports indicate that if Verstappen is not first or second when the championship pauses in August, then the Dutch driver is free to explore interest from rivals, a scenario that would strengthen McLaren's chances if senior management decide later to change their stance on recruitment.
Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and McLaren future options
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has publicly stated that McLaren is not currently searching the driver market, yet Brown has also suggested that opportunities involving a driver such as Verstappen would always receive consideration, which aligns with Norris’ openness to any elite team-mate, including a potential Verstappen partnership.
Verstappen has voiced frustration with Formula One's latest technical regulations this season and has hinted that a premature departure from the series is possible, comments that feed into wider uncertainty about long-term alignment with Red Bull despite the existing 2028 agreement.
Lando Norris at McLaren and British Grand Prix form
Norris arrives at Silverstone one point behind Oscar Piastri, with Piastri fourth on 80 points and Norris fifth on 79, following two podium results in Miami and Barcelona but also three retirements from the opening eight rounds of the 2026 season.
The McLaren driver finished seventh at the Austrian Grand Prix in the previous race, and, excluding retirements or disqualifications, has not placed outside the top five in back-to-back races since a three-event spell stretching from Sao Paulo to Qatar two years earlier.
Norris has good memories from Silverstone after becoming the 36th driver to win a home grand prix, beating Piastri in last year's British Grand Prix, a result that strengthened Norris’ position inside the championship fight and underlined the pace of McLaren at high-speed circuits.
Home race rock-up #McLarenF1 | #SparkWhatsNext | #BritishGPpic.twitter.com/nqvJ1mpETFMcLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team (@McLarenF1) July 2, 2026
Lando Norris and McLaren car performance
My performances this year have been, on average, better than last season, Norris said. I still find it a very complicated car to drive and difficult to understand session in, session out. Like, what is needed every single track, corner, set-up, what is needed to really get everything out of this car. So, we're still struggling as a pair of drivers to understand that completely. But I feel like I've had a better start to the year than last year. Last year, that meant, you know, probably winning orleading the championship or not. This year, it means being within 80 to 100 points, you know?
Norris believes both drivers are still learning how to unlock the current McLaren package from session to session, with small changes in set-up bringing large swings in balance, yet Norris argues that the overall performance level is higher than in 2025, even if the points gap to the leader looks larger.
Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and McLaren rivals at Silverstone
While McLaren focus on Norris, Piastri and any future Verstappen discussions, attention at Silverstone will also fall on Lewis Hamilton, who races for Ferrari and has already taken a first win for the team at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix earlier this season.
Hamilton finished only fifth in Austria, dropping to third in the championship, but Silverstone has historically suited Hamilton, who has nine race victories at the circuit and 375 points there, both personal highs, and has taken seven pole positions at the track, second only to nine at the Hungaroring.
The seven-time world champion and Ferrari have adapted strongly to the updated 2026 regulations, with Hamilton scoring 125 points from the opening eight grands prix, an average of 15.6 points per race, Hamilton's best figure since averaging 17.6 points in the 2021 campaign.
Lando Norris rivals: George Russell and Mercedes at McLaren’s home race
George Russell, racing for Mercedes, also enters the British Grand Prix with growing momentum after victory in Austria, which revived Russell's title bid and confirmed recent qualifying strength that has delivered three pole positions from the last four race weekends.
Russell took pole in Canada, Barcelona and Austria, having managed only two poles across the previous 18 grands prix, and could secure a personal milestone at Silverstone by claiming a third consecutive pole position for the first time in Russell's Formula One career.
The British Grand Prix weekend will include the 28th sprint race in Formula One history and just the second sprint held in Great Britain after the 2021 event, with recent patterns favouring the pole sitter, who has won the last six sprints, including Russell’s latest sprint victory in Canada.
Russell has not yet recorded consecutive sprint race wins, so a strong performance in the Silverstone sprint could offer another first for the Mercedes driver and add further pressure on Antonelli, Hamilton, Norris, Piastri and potentially Verstappen in the broader championship contest.
Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and McLaren in the 2026 standings
Antonelli leads the drivers' championship for Mercedes on 171 points, ahead of Russell on 131 and Hamilton on 125, while McLaren pairing Piastri and Norris hold fourth and fifth, leaving McLaren aiming to close the gap in both the drivers' and constructors' tables during the British Grand Prix weekend.
In the constructors' standings, Mercedes hold a clear advantage with 302 points, Ferrari sit second on 204 and McLaren third with 159, followed by Red Bull on 115 and Alpine on 57, reflecting a shift in competitive order beneath the headline stories around Verstappen's future.
| Championship | Position | Driver / Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers' | 1 | Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) | 171 |
| Drivers' | 2 | George Russell (Mercedes) | 131 |
| Drivers' | 3 | Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) | 125 |
| Drivers' | 4 | Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 80 |
| Drivers' | 5 | Lando Norris (McLaren) | 79 |
| Constructors' | 1 | Mercedes | 302 |
| Constructors' | 2 | Ferrari | 204 |
| Constructors' | 3 | McLaren | 159 |
| Constructors' | 4 | Red Bull | 115 |
| Constructors' | 5 | Alpine | 57 |
Norris' support for Piastri, openness to Verstappen or other champions and assessment of McLaren's demanding car frame the team's position before Silverstone, where Hamilton and Russell seek home success and Antonelli protects the championship lead during a season shaped by new regulations and future contract questions.
