While acknowledging candidly that Red Bull still has interest in acquiring Lando Norris, Helmut Marko emphasized that he is “not an option in the short-term.”

Red Bull has long been interested in hiring Norris; the British player, who has a deal with McLaren that runs through at least the end of 2026, has been frequently connected to the Milton Keynes company in the past.

Christian Horner, the team’s principal at Red Bull, had disclosed that the group had spoken with Norris “a couple of times” in the past. In 2018, he was even asked to join the Toro Rosso squad and make his Formula One debut.

Since then, Norris has repeatedly extended his contract with McLaren, presumably in an effort to stave off interest from competing teams.

Red Bull believes that Norris might be Max Verstappen’s teammate in the future. The two get along well and have already talked about the prospect of working together in the future.

Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s current teammate, has an undetermined future because his contract expires at the conclusion of the year.

Marko stated that Norris is “certainly in our focus” in an interview with ServusTV.

He said, “His father always makes jokes about how Lando won’t celebrate his first Grand Prix win until Max [Verstappen] retires.”

“I informed him that if he came to us, things would move more quickly.”

Red Bull may potentially consider Oscar Piastri, Norris’s McLaren teammate, in the future.

“Neither Oscar Piastri nor Norris are options in the near term, as their contracts at least expire in 2026,” Marko stated.

However, we will find both drivers to be interesting in the future.

On the F1 grid, Norris and Piastri are regarded as two of the best young possibilities.

Despite not having won a grand prix, Norris has finished on the podium fifteen times in 109 races, his most recent being at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he finished second to Verstappen and kept Red Bull from taking a 1-2.

In the 2024 Formula One Drivers’ Championship, Norris and Piastri are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.

Red Bull will undoubtedly keep an eye on Norris and Piastri’s accomplishments and development in the upcoming years as they consider their options for a potential future move.