Norris rules out racing into his 40s despite Alonso's new Aston Martin deal

Lando Norris has ruled out any possibility of racing into his 40s, drawing a clear contrast with Fernando Alonso just days after the two-time world champion confirmed he will remain with Aston Martin through the 2027 season — a deal that will keep the Spaniard on the grid at age 46.

Speaking to BeIN Sports Asia at the Sepang International Circuit ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, the 2025 F1 champion was asked whether he could envision competing at a similar age to Alonso. His answer was unambiguous. “No chance,” Norris said. When asked whether that applied only to Formula 1 or to motorsport as a whole, he was equally direct: “In racing in general. No chance.”

Norris, 26, cited a desire for a life beyond the paddock as his primary motivation for an eventual exit. “I want to go home and relax, and then go off and travel with my friends, and have a family,” he said. “I don’t want to be here forever, so I try to make the most of my time while I’m here.”

Despite the firm stance on retirement, Norris is not planning to leave the sport any time soon. He is contracted to McLaren until at least the end of the 2030 season, by which point he will be 31 years old. The extension was signed in August 2026.

“McLaren is my home, and I’m very pleased to be signing a new contract to keep me with the team until at least 2030,” Norris said at the time. “When I started this journey nine years ago, I was clear about the goals I wanted to achieve: to get McLaren back to the front and to win championships. We’ve achieved that goal, but we want more.”

On track in the current season, Norris sits fourth in the drivers’ standings with 186 points, 116 points adrift of championship leader Kimi Antonelli.