Norris makes cheeky Hamilton salary claim after new McLaren contract: 'I deserve as much!'

Norris' new contract, announced earlier today by the Woking team, will reportedly see him earn £30 million per year - putting him on the third highest salary on the 2026 grid, only behind Hamilton and Verstappen, who are each said to earn over £50 million at least. Verstappen too will stay in F1 and at Red Bull, with a 2030 contract extension announced prior to the Dutch GP weekend.

Upon McLaren's announcement, 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.

However, the 26-year-old has also addressed recent online speculation over his new salary, with some claiming he could have been in for a raise up to £50 million, hence matching Hamilton's reported earnings at Ferrari, or potentially even higher to match Verstappen's new deal.

Asked on that speculation, Norris "sadly" admitted his new salary is "not close to the level of Lewis or Max," and that it is no surprise given his trophy haul compared with the two F1 greats. However, the Briton simultaneously believes he is operating on the same level as Hamilton and Verstappen, adding that he is "working on it," with regard to matching their earnings.

As per The Telegraph, Norris said: "I mean, I feel I should earn as much as them, but it [his new contract] is certainly not close to the figures that I’ve been seeing online, sadly!”

Norris concluded: “I’m working on it. I don’t know when my next extension or renewal will be, but hopefully I can try and match [them] one day. But no, I dream of seeing those figures that I’ve seen online.”