Norris has committed his future to McLaren with what is being described only as a “multi-year” deal, which supersedes an existing contract that expired at the end of 2025.

The announcement from McLaren arrived less than a week before the shock news broke of Hamilton having decided to depart Mercedes at the end of the year to join Ferrari.

Motorsport.com understands that Norris signed the new paperwork well in advance of the announcement, so the timing was not as tight as suggested. But the Brit still made clear that he had “no regrets” over pledging his future to Woking now the driver market landscape has changed.

Amid the Hamilton switch and Red Bull’s strong start to pre-season testing in Bahrain as it bids to retain the constructors’ title, Norris said: “No, I'm very happy. I could have waited; I had the choice.

“I knew opportunities were potentially coming my way. I knew what opportunities I had at the time, last year and coming into this year and what could have happened or what is happening over the next couple of years anyway. So, no regrets from any side.”