Formula 1: Lando Norris could become available under a certain condition

McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris could become available to be loaned out at some point during the remainder of the 2018 Formula 1 season.

Last week, it was revealed that Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula 1 team approached 18-year-old McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris about joining the team alongside 22-year-old Pierre Gasly to replace the struggling 28-year-old Brendon Hartley.

Toro Rosso approached Norris about replacing Hartley throughout the rest of the 2018 Formula 1 season starting with the ninth race of the 21-race season, the Austrian Grand Prix, which is scheduled to be held on Sunday, July 1.

However, McLaren blocked the move since Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso’s parent organization, wanted to retain Norris throughout the rest of the 2018 season and into the 2019 season, and McLaren were not willing to lose their reserve driver, who currently holds a sizable lead in the Formula 2 championship standings as a driver for Carlin Motorsport, to a rival team.

But McLaren CEO Zak Brown has stated that Norris could still end up being loaned out this season. The reason for this is the fact that Brown believes Norris could gain valuable experience if given the opportunity to drive in a few Formula 1 races this season, as he could end up driving full-time in the sport next season.

However, there is one condition to this, and that condition is that if a team signs Norris to drive for them this season, that team would not be able to sign him to a long-term deal. As stated above, this is to ensure that McLaren would retain him and not lose him to a rival team.

Here is what Brown had to say about the matter, according to GrandPX.News.

"“If there was an opportunity for Lando to gain experience then that’s something we would consider. Lando is a McLaren driver. He has a bright future here, but we do not have an interest in letting Lando go anywhere on a long-term deal.”"