But exactly how patient? One is hedging his bets on a future with Aston Martin, while the other needs his faith in McLaren to be justified – and now
MATT KEW
Aston Martin and McLaren
Aston Martin and McLaren helped prop up a deeply unspectacular Formula 1 campaign for large parts of last year.
Aston’s flying start made it the surprise early package, and Fernando Alonso chased the Red Bulls as it became clear that Mercedes and Ferrari had dropped the ball. When a development path, which attempted to reverse-engineer parts for the 2024 car to fit the AMR23, knocked Aston well off course, McLaren picked up the mantle. Following its Austrian GP update, Lando Norris became the second-highest-scoring driver behind only Max Verstappen.
Their seasons showed two different ways to skin a cat: fast out of the gates versus finishing with a flourish. The choice of lead driver is similarly contrasting. Outside of the top three teams, Alonso and Norris are the two most complete contenders on the grid. But they sit at opposing ends of their careers. The two-time world champion is angling for a return to a frontrunning gig, while Norris is still yet to top a Formula 1 podium, despite many seeing him as a future title winner. He’s watched key junior single-seater near-contemporaries George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Verstappen and Carlos Sainz– and even rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri – all get there first, although Piastri’s win was only a sprint race.
Given his relative youth and an urge to top up the trophy count, 24-year-old Norris might have held the keys to this summer’s driver market merry-go-round. His McLaren deal was due to expire at the end of 2025, so he was plausibly available for a fair price. Red Bull has continually flirted with his signing and the Brit would have been on Mercedes’ shortlist of Lewis Hamilton successors. But he’s recommitted to working in Woking on a new “multi-year” deal.
With Norris out of the way and Leclerc renewing his Ferrari vows, Alonso will now believe that he can save ‘silly season’. Forget that he’s going to turn 43 in July, the Spaniard has been talking up his best-ever fitness test scores and his marketability to prospective employers. Ever the protagonist, this is Alonso putting himself in the shop window to land a Mercedes drive should Toto Wolff decide to delay the promotion of p
