Lando Norris has opened 👍up on the extent of talks held with other F1 teams to quit McLaren.

Norris penned a new contract to stay at McLaren which, although the exact duration has not been made public, could♏ reportedly run until 2028 or 2029.

The hig✤hly-touted British driver had been linked to future switches Mercedes and, particularly, Red Bull.

He told Sky Sports about the secret talks with unnamed teams: “There’s always discus🅷sions, ev🦂ery now and then.

“I’m not going to lie and say ‘no!⛄’ There are always litꦑtle discussions.

“You talk to people and say ‘what could you offer’ kind of thing. But it nev𝓰er went further than that.

“There have always been things in the media, and stories written. It⭕’s not the best thing for everyone here at the factory.

“If you’re working away making a part🍸 for my car, and you see ‘Norris has links to here or there’ it’s not the best thing to see.

“For the team’s sake we wanted to get it done now, to put those rumours to ♎r♏est.

“I am convinced this is where I wanted to stay.

“As much as there was ‘hey, how are you’ at other places, it never🍎 went further than that.

“As soon as I came back here, it was a d𓆏one deal.”

Norris’ great friend Alex Albon jokingly claimed there would alwayꩲs be a place for him at Red Bull.

The seat next꧋ to Max Verstappen is due to become vacant for 2025, with Sergio Perez stꦿruggling to cling on and Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings, but Norris will now no longer be a contender to join.

Asked about the lure of Red Bull, Norris pointed t🌄owardsꦅ McLaren’s dramatic improvement from the middle of last year.

“We are talking about the most competitive and successful car in the history of Formula 1 over ไa season – and I think you have to include the driver in that too,” he said.

“How cl𒅌ose we got at certain places with where we started the season? I think it was pretty i𒁏mpressive.

“To go from out of the points pr🐈etty m💛uch every single race to being probably the closest team on average to the most successful car that’s ever been in Formula 1…

“I think that showed me enough, and showed eve🐼ryone here at McLaren enough, that we have what it takes to ch൲allenge them.

“Therefore I want to create my own chapter and my own story of being with McLaren and turning the team ൲around and being part of that journey.

“Of course there’s always interest and in the bac❀k of my mind.

“‘What would happen if I went here 🎃and what could I achieve,’ and so forth.

“But I’m happy with where I am, I’m comfortable a🐓nd I think in order to achieve a World Championship you need to be happy and comfortable with whe🗹re you’re at.”