Lando Norris to Red Bull deal blocked by McLaren as ‘catastrophic’ situation analysed

Friday’s F1 news includes McLaren blocking Red Bull’s attempt to sign Lando Norris and Eddie Jordan sounding the alarm for Christian Horner.

Let’s rattle through the day’s big headlines at full throttle…

F1 news: How McLaren blocked Red Bull’s Lando Norris bid

Helmut Marko lifts lid on Red Bull’s attempt to sign Lando Norris

Helmut Marko has revealed that Red Bull had a “contract ready” to sign Lando Norris to junior team VCARB (then Toro Rosso) for 2019 before McLaren “found out” and stopped the deal.

McLaren and Norris have emerged as Red Bull’s closest threat in F1 2024, yet his career could have played out very differently had he came through Red Bull’s famed junior academy.

Marko has revealed how close Red Bull came to securing Norris before McLaren intervened.

Eddie Jordan weighs in on ‘catastrophic’ Red Bull situation

Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has described the current situation at Red Bull as “catastrophic” and says team principal Christian Horner has a “massive job on his hands” to get the World Champions back on track.

Having started the F1 2024 season in dominant fashion, Red Bull’s lead over McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship has been reduced to eight points, with the team without a win since the Spanish Grand Prix on June 23.

Nico Rosberg airs George Russell fears with Mercedes keen on Max Verstappen

Nico Rosberg, the 2016 F1 World Champion, believes George Russell is “not safe at all” at Mercedes with the team expected to rekindle their interest in Max Verstappen ahead of 2026.

Mercedes confirmed their F1 2025 driver lineup at the Italian Grand Prix, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli announced as Lewis Hamilton’s successor.

Rosberg is convinced Toto Wolff will not give up in his bid to sign Verstappen, which could leave Russell, out of contract at the end of 2025, vulnerable.

Martin Brundle: Andrea Kimi Antonelli ‘the luckiest young driver’ ever

Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle has quipped that Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the “luckiest young driver I’ve ever known” after a flat start to his Mercedes career at Monza.

Antonelli made his first appearance on an F1 race weekend at the Italian Grand Prix, where he crashed just 10 minutes into the opening practice session.

Mercedes’ defence of Antonelli since his off at Parabolica has not gone unnoticed by an amused Brundle.

Haas confirm Oliver Bearman to replace Kevin Magnussen in Baku

Haas have confirmed that Oliver Bearman will replace the banned Kevin Magnussen at next weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

Magnussen has been banned for one race after triggering a race ban in Italy, becoming the first driver to be hit with a suspension since F1’s penalty points system was introduced in 2014.

After finishing seventh on debut for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia earlier this season, when he stood in for an unwell Carlos Sainz, Bearman will have another chance to impress in Azerbaijan.

Bearman has already been confirmed as a full-time Haas driver for F1 2025, with the British driver set to be partnered by Esteban Ocon.