The F1 rumour mill has been sent into overdrive after a photo of Lando Norris’ agent speaking with Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko was taken at the British Grand Prix.
In the photo captured by The Telegraph, Norris’ agent Berryman is sitting at a table alone with Marko, and the pair are seen in deep discussion.
Such meetings are common in the F1 paddock, while the McLaren ace is far from the only driver on Berryman’s books.
Nonetheless, given the respective career trajectories of young gun Norris, and that of struggling Red Bull veteran Sergio Perez, the meeting was always going to set tongues wagging.
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Perez is in dire form in 2023, trailing teammate Max Verstappen in the championship by 99 points, while he has failed to reach Q3 in five races. At Silverstone, he qualified a lowly 15th and could only finish as high as sixth.
The Mexican is contracted for another year but speculation continues to grow that Red Bull could grow impatient and look to move him aside ahead of time.
The timing is also curious given we are now just three weeks away from the midsummer break, which traditionally marks the start of F1 silly season.
Red Bull’s third driver Daniel Ricciardo has been linked to Perez’s seat as he looks for a way back into F1 following his premature exit from McLaren at the end of last season.
But Marko is a known fan of Norris, too, previously saying he rates the Briton as highly as Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
“The only talented driver I still see in this league is Lando Norris, but he doesn’t have the best machinery at the moment,” Marko said last year.
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Marko has still backed Perez publicly and said his position is “not in danger at all”, while Red Bull appears willing to give the driver time to re-discover his form.
Whatever the purpose of Marko’s meeting with Berryman, however, it’s sure to ramp up the pressure on Perez given the speculation it will generate.
Any move for Norris would be difficult given he is contracted with McLaren until the end of 2025, while he would command top dollar given the strength of his stocks as highly-talented 23-year-old.
He’s sure to be in demand regardless after finishing fourth in Austria before a stunning second-place finish at Silverstone for McLaren, which had been struggling in 2023.
