Lando Norris will be thinking of a possible move to Red Bull or Ferrari after McLaren's miserable start to 2023, according to Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok.
Norris was forced to pit SIX times during Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir, eventually finishing last of the 17th classified cars.
The exciting 23-year-old British star was hampered throughout by pneumatic issues, while rookie team-mate Oscar Piastri was an early DNF.
Norris is currently on a long-term McLaren contract which runs through to 2025, but Chandhok - speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast - speculated whether he would see out that entire deal in papaya.
{inlineimage[https://sportsbase.io/images/gpfans/copy_620x348/9fa0804947cb7f4af0cfc2f4d7133e289b2da556.jpg][Norris was forced to pit six times in Bahrain][2]}
Karun Chandhok on Lando Norris future
Norris was forced to pit six times in Bahrain
"I tell you who will be thinking about a move to Ferrari or Red Bull though, is young Lando Norris.
"Looking at where they're [McLaren] at, and we were talking before the season of McLaren locking him in and Zak [Brown] doing an amazing job of contracting him [Norris] in for that four-year period.
"I do wonder, and if they're smart they would have created some sort of exit clauses.
"For example, McLaren don't finish in the top four of the Constructors' Championship two years in a row, is there an option for Lando to look elsewhere?
"Because outside of the traditional top three teams, you've got Fernando [Alonso] and Lando who are your top two drivers on the grid aren't they? And the fact he [Norris] is fighting to even get a car into Q3, there's got to be a bit of frustration there I would imagine."
McLaren start to 2023 not good enough - Zak Brown
In the aftermath of that weekend of misery in Bahrain, McLaren CEO Zak Brown took to social media on Tuesday night to give a short but brutal assessment of events in Sakhir.
He said: "Bahrain wasn’t good enough. We know McLaren should be better than that, and we know we’re better than that. The team is working hard to get us back into the points in Saudi."
GP CANADA
7 - 9 Jun
GP SPAIN
21 - 23 Jun
GP AUSTRIA
28 - 30 Jun
GP GREAT BRITAIN
5 - 7 Jul
GP HUNGARY
19 - 21 Jul
GP BELGIUM
26 - 28 Jul
GP NETHERLANDS
23 - 25 Aug
GP ITALY
30 Aug - 1 Sep
GP AZERBAIJAN
13 - 15 Sep
GP SINGAPORE
20 - 22 Sep
GP USA
18 - 20 Oct
GP MEXICO
25 - 27 Oct
GP BRAZIL
1 - 3 Nov
GP QATAR
29 Nov - 1 Dec
GP ABU DHABI
6 - 8 Dec
Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024 
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024 
Grand Prix of Australia 2024 
MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024 
Grand Prix of China 2024 
Grand Prix of Monaco 2024 
Innovatieweg 20C