Norris: McLaren is where I've grown up

Lando Norris put pen to paper, and signed a contract extension with McLaren back in February, that would see him racing for the Woking squad until 2025, making north of $100-Million according to reports.

But some within the Formula 1 community have doubted the young driver's decision to commit so early to McLaren, as the team is yet to return to running at the front, even seemingly far from that based on how things have panned out so far in 2022.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports F1, Norris brushed off the critics, saying: "They're clueless!

"I don't know why... everyone thinks they know, 'he definitely could have gone here, he could have done that'," he hot out. "But most of the time they know absolutely nothing, all these people coming up with these conclusions."

As it so happens, one of the critics was Sky's own pundit Jenson Button, the 2009 F1 Champion, and a former McLaren driver as well. saying at the time that he was "surprised" by his compatriot's decision

Pointed out to him, Norris somehow recanted saying: "It's come from people that I have a lot of respect for and of course I respect their opinions.

"But at the same time, I have a good team around me so we know where I want to be and when, what the team can offer me going into the future.

"I still believe it's the best place for me because it's where I've grown up, I know what we have coming," the 22-year-old insisted.

He added: "I have played, let's say, a little bit more of a long-term game rather than short-term."

Norris was joined by Daniel Ricciardo in 2021 at McLaren, but the Australian has notably struggled in his new environment, and his struggles worryingly persist in 2022.

Asked of that might be the case for him should he leave McLaren for another team, Norris pondered: "It's tough.

"I've not been in that situation so it's hard for me to speak on other people's behalves, but you see many other drivers, not just Daniel, go from team to team and it's obviously not easy to just go in and nail it.

"It does take time," he claimed. "Some are able to do it quicker than others, but it just shows how challenging it is, it shows it's not an easy car to drive, you have to understand everything to be on the limit."

Norris now gears up for the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, a race he finished on the podium in third last year, and was fifth in its Styrian adaptation that took place at the same track, the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg.