Under Helmut Marko, the Red Bull system was on the hunt for future champions, and Lando Norris would have \u201cfitted very well\u201d into the Red Bull system.<\/p>\n
That is according to Marko, the former Red Bull senior advisor and driver programme boss. He spoke of \u201cvery early stage\u201d negotiations to bring Norris into the Red Bull<\/a> fold, a pursuit which was unsuccessful, as Norris went on to join McLaren\u2019s ranks, and become World Champion in 2025.<\/p>\n Red Bull held Lando Norris talks but \u2018didn\u2019t get him\u2019<\/p>\n Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n It was in 2017 that Norris first joined the McLaren programme, rising\u00a0 through the junior ranks before making his Grand Prix debut for the team in 2019.<\/p>\n Skip forward to F1 2025, and Norris became World Champion with McLaren, beating Red Bull\u2019s four-time title-winner Max Verstappen by two points.<\/p>\n History could have taken a different course had Red Bull been Norris\u2019s home.<\/p>\n The Brit has spoken in the past about a 2016 Monaco meeting with Marko<\/a>, who previously stated that McLaren blocked a drive for Norris with Red Bull\u2019s junior F1 team.<\/p>\n In a recent Beyond the Grid podcast appearance, Marko was asked whether any talents slipped through his fingers, a driver which he wanted to have, during his time in charge of the Red Bull driver programme.<\/p>\n He pointed to Norris, suggesting that he and Red Bull would have been a match made in heaven.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had, at a very early stage, a negotiation with Lando Norris, and in the end, we didn\u2019t get him.<\/p>\n \u201cBut yes, I think he would have fitted very well to us.<\/p>\n \u201cBut on the other hand, we can\u2019t have everybody.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are looking for champions.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Helmut Marko and Red Bull from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n Why Red Bull 2.0 left no room for renegade Helmut Marko<\/a><\/p>\n Chandhok recalls why he left Red Bull on \u2018good terms\u2019 with Horner and Marko<\/a><\/p>\n Marko confirmed \u201cyes\u201d when asked if he has ever been wrong about a driver.<\/p>\n He was subsequently asked if a driver who he axed from the Red Bull driver programme who, in hindsight, he should have shown more patience with.<\/p>\n Marko was known for his no-nonsense, sometimes brutal, approach to running the Red Bull Junior Team.<\/p>\n Yet, the results cannot be questioned, with Red Bull having produced a pair of multi-time champions in Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel.<\/p>\n The likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly, all Grand Prix winners, also came through the Red Bull ranks.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, that\u2019s not the case,\u201d he said, \u201cbut, it was the opposite.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of drivers where I thought they could do great. They didn\u2019t in the end.<\/p>\n \u201cNearly all had the talent, but they were not seriously working, or they hadn\u2019t the mental strength which is necessary, because they believed once they are from Formula 2, going to Formula 1, someone is carrying their helmet, and their life is nice. But, it\u2019s opposite.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pressure is double as much, and you have to deliver every lap. So in this pressure, not many could stand.\u201d<\/p>\n Marko stepped down from his position as Red Bull senior advisor and driver programme boss following the 2025 season.<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n