New Norris deal may exceed $15m as “one hundred million” transfer worth touted
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Norris is contracted for the next two Formula 1 seasons to his current team but is frequently the source of speculation linking him to know admirers Red Bull.McLaren CEO Zak Brown has already confirmed that retaining Norris and Oscar Piastri is a “high priority” but has now issued a bold statement about the financial muscle behind the team.Asked if Norris would be worth “a hundred million” as a footballer by Sky Sports, Brown answered: “I don’t know enough about soccer to know what the economics are!“He’s quite a valuable racing driver, a great asset to the racing team.“There is no number that we would be interested in trading him for.”Norris pocketed $5m in salary plus an additional $10m in bonuses for the 2023 F1 season from McLaren, Forbes report.That makes him the sixth-highest earner in the list of F1 driver salaries, with Max Verstappen topping the pile after claiming $70m for his record-breaking year.Norris will presumably require a pay-rise if he is to shun the advances of McLaren’s rivals to renew his deal into 2026 and beyond.Brown insists they can afford to keep him: “The resources we have now are exactly where we need to be.Related McLaren certain Norris is “ready” to claim first F1 win in 2024 New Norris F1 contract a ‘high priority’ for McLaren amid Red Bull interest“We’re a profitable racing team, which is great. We run at the cap.“Resources will not hold us back from achieving anything we need to achieve, drivers included.”McLaren’s mid-season upgrade turned them into Red Bull’s closest challengers for part of last season.Rookie Piastri won the Qatar sprint race to underline his hugely impressive year.Norris claimed seven podiums in total, including a run of five within six consecutive grands prix.“Building blocks? You need the world’s two greatest grand prix drivers,” Brown insisted about McLaren’s future. “I think we’ve got the best driver line-up in Formula 1.“We do have a little more run-way with both but certainly he’s hot property, so we’d like to lock him down sooner rather than later.“I think he’s very much enjoying his time at McLaren.“The dream is to win races and a world championship together and I think Lando is all-in for achieving that with us.”McLaren have already launched their 2024 livery to raise excitement about what Norris and Piastri might be capable of this year.
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