Lando Norris has hit back at claims that extending his McLaren contract for so long may have been a grave mistake.
2009 world champion Jenson Button raised the alarm about Norris’ lucrative new deal that will see him at the British team until the end of 2025.
McLaren has kicked off the all-new era of regulations with a notably uncompetitive car.
"I see a lot of stories saying I’ve made the wrong decision, but that is not the case," the 22-year-old Briton said in Melbourne.
Norris says he has "all the faith in the world" that McLaren can get back on track.
"There were chances to go to other teams," he admitted. "But is it the best thing to be somewhere different for one or two years and then it might be worse? Or is it better to be here and play the long game?"
It’s certainly an interesting question, with Norris ultimately gambling on the ’long game’.
Curiously, the Woking based team is strongly linked with a works tie-up with Audi for 2026 and beyond, although the latest reports suggest the talks may have hit stalemate.
When asked about Volkswagen’s board-level approval of Audi and Porsche entering F1, Norris admitted: "We and Red Bull seem to be the teams linked with that.
"I can’t comment on that to be honest," he insisted. I think you should ask Andreas (Seidl).
"But of course it’s good for Formula 1 when big manufacturers get involved."