Helmut Marko reveals Red Bull talks with Lando Norris: “He would have been perfect for us”. Helmut Marko reveals previously unknown details about Red Bull’s talks with Lando Norris in 2022.

Helmut Marko has opened up with some revealing comments about the reigning world champion, Lando Norris. Appearing as a guest on the “Beyond The Grid” podcast, the former Red Bull advisor revisited the 2022 season, when the Milton Keynes-based team came very close to the McLaren driver. The goal was clear: to try and secure him as a future driver.

“At a very early stage, we had negotiations with Lando Norris, but in the end we didn’t manage to sign him,” Helmut Marko said. “I think he would have been perfect for us. But on the other hand, you can’t have everyone. We look for champions.”

The words of Lando Norris

In the end, the driver wearing car number 1 decided to remain with the Woking-based team, strengthening a relationship that, a couple of seasons later, allowed him to achieve his greatest dream: becoming world champion. Looking back on the discussions with Red Bull, the British driver admitted that he had always given absolute priority to McLaren over any other team.

“The problem is that I was close to finalising my contract, and it wasn’t like Red Bull and I were talking a lot,” Lando Norris explained. “Before speaking with anyone else, my discussions were always with McLaren, it has always been that way,” he stressed.

“As much as you might sometimes like what could happen elsewhere, the best thing for me was signing the contract with McLaren, having the certainty of being in Formula 1 and knowing that I would stay there in the future. For me, it’s the best feeling, simply because it makes you feel more relaxed and more comfortable in the environment you are in,” he concluded.

This mutual trust between driver and team proved to be a masterstroke. While Red Bull looked on from the outside, Lando Norris and McLaren built the foundation that eventually saw them topple the Milton Keynes giants in 2025. It remains one of the great ‘what ifs’ of recent Formula 1 history: how different would the grid look today if the current World Champion had opted for the blue of Red Bull instead of the papaya orange?