Button surprised by Norris' long contract with McLaren

Jenson Button has called into question the wisdom of Lando Norris signing a long-term deal with McLaren.

Last month, Norris, who began his career in F1 with McLaren in 2019, extended his allegiance to the Woking-based outfit until the end of 2025.

On paper the agreement appeared as a smart move by the 22-year-old given his team's near-term and longer-term prospects.

But McLaren's troubled start to its 2022 campaign has Button questioning the merits of Norris locking himself into a deal that will run for the next three seasons.

"For Lando, it was surprising that he signed such a long contract at the start of his career," Button told Sky Sports F1.

"We all want to be team players but you never know where the team is going to be in three years. And also, this is going to be a big hit. Five years to go and he is going to be like, ‘Oh, okay’.

"But all he can do is go back to the team, tell them what the issues are and try and resolve them."

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One would argue that it's premature to write off McLaren as a front-running contender in F1, although the papaya squad admittedly has its work cut out for it to bridge the gap with its rivals at the front of the field.

But Button admitted that McLaren certainly has the ability and resources to turn around its fortunes, likely through the development push of its MCL36.

"This is a great team," said the 2009 F1 world champion. "They've won multiple championships, they have a lot of new people in place that are also very skilled.

"It’s about that team building, that team staying together and developing the car as well as they can."

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