Just over a week after Max Verstappen's Red Bull contract extension was revealed ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, McLaren have announced Lando Norris will stay with the papaya team until at least 2030.

Having raced in F1 for the reigning Constructors' champions since 2019, Norris' new contract, if completed, will see him stay at McLaren for over a decade - with the Briton already having achieved 48 podiums, including 13 wins, two Constructors' title wins, and last year's dramatic Drivers' victory.

Speaking in McLaren's announcement, a delighted Norris said: “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. 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.

Fresh off the back of Norris' second consecutive win this season at Zandvoort last weekend, with many tipping him for a late title charge against Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, team principal Andrea Stella was thrilled with the Briton's extension: “Since joining McLaren as part of our junior programme, he has grown with us and played a central role in bringing the team back to the front of Formula 1.

"This extension gives us important continuity and reinforces our confidence in the direction we are taking together. With him and Oscar, we know we can count not only on one of the strongest partnerships but also on one of the most united and close-knit teams in Formula 1," Stella said.

Former F1 driver Nikita Mazepin has returned to competitive action in the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy (STT), getting behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend. The Russian marked his comeback by topping Friday's practice session and securing pole position for Saturday's opening race.

Mazepin's racing return comes just weeks after the FIA eased the restrictions imposed on Russian and Belarusian drivers following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Earlier this month, the governing body removed the requirement for drivers from the two countries to compete under a neutral flag and sign a commitment to neutrality, meaning they can once again race under their national identity.

Such measures were introduced in 2022, the same year Mazepin lost his Formula 1 seat with Haas, although Russian and Belarusian drivers remained eligible to compete internationally under specific conditions.

Two and a half years after his last outing in the Asian Le Mans Series, Mazepin wasted little time getting back up to speed at Spa-Francorchamps, home to the Belgian Grand Prix, topping the STT's only Friday practice session on his first weekend back behind the wheel. Driving for Team Motopark, the former F1 driver produced a 2:16.618 in his Mercedes-AMG GT3, with the session also setting the grid for today's first race.

His benchmark proved comfortably out of reach for the rest of the field. Thomas Amweg came closest with a 2:20.778 at the wheel of a Duqueine D-08 LMP3, leaving him 4.160 seconds behind Mazepin. The sizeable advantage handed the former Haas man pole position for the opening race of his return to international competition.