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The reigning world champion announced a fresh deal with McLaren that will keep him with the team until at least the end of 2030. Norris had more than a year remaining on his previous contract, but discussions over an extension had begun to develop in recent months. While the 26-year-old confirmed there were approaches from elsewhere on the grid, he said he never seriously considered turning his back on McLaren. “There was some interest from elsewhere,” Norris told BBC Sport. “But I don’t want to go anywhere. I don’t want to be with another team. I don’t want to spend time with other people. “That’s why it really was probably one of the easiest decisions I’ve made since being in Formula 1.” Norris added that negotiations only gradually became part of the conversation during the season. “[Contract talks] became a topic of conversation over the last four months or so, but very loosely in the background” The Briton’s relationship with McLaren stretches back to 2017 when he joined the team’s junior program before making his F1 debut with the team in 2019. That period has included some of McLaren’s most difficult seasons and its eventual return to the front of F1. After years spent rebuilding, McLaren won consecutive constructors’ championships in 2024 and 2025 before Norris claimed his first drivers’ title last season. Norris said going through those struggles before eventually enjoying championship success had strengthened his attachment to the team. “The fact I stuck it through with them and then we went on to obviously have success certainly makes me feel like I don’t want to… they didn’t give up on me and I didn’t give up on them,” he said. “That just creates a very strong bond between everyone that works here. I want to believe that bond stays as strong as it is now ’til I do retire in my career at Formula 1. “I know that’s a long, long way away and I don’t want to think of it. But I believe we’re in the best place we’ve ever been even with a tough start to the season. “And I believe that we can fight through anything together for sure.” McLaren endured a difficult start to the new regulations in 2026, beginning the season off the pace of its leading rivals as it worked to understand its MCL40. Its competitiveness has improved significantly in recent rounds, with upgrades helping Norris take consecutive victories in Hungary and the Netherlands and move him to within 83 points of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Norris said that rather than weakening his commitment during McLaren’s early struggles, the challenge had only reinforced his desire to remain with the people around him. “This beginning of the year is the perfect example of what doesn’t make me turn my head the other way or anything,” he said. “In fact, it’s more the opposite. It makes me want to stick with the people that I am with because I believe we can fight back through most circumstances and all circumstances. “And I enjoy the fight in some ways just as much as I enjoy the experience of being on top.” Norris will be aiming for his third consecutive victory as F1 returns this weekend with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.