Lando Norris signed a new contract with McLaren last winter, one that could keep him with the team until the end of 2028. It’s unclear if there are any exit clauses at play, but it was still a significant show of faith. At the beginning of the season, it looked as if he may have signed too early. Sergio Perez was in a contract year at Red Bull, while there was an unexpected opening at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton agreed to join Ferrari. Norris finished sixth in the first race in Bahrain, and then eighth in Saudi Arabia a week later. While he scored a podium in Australia, he was reliant on a mech…