BRITISH racing driver Lando Norris is at the centre of a tug-of-war between two F1 teams.
The highly-rated 18-year-old is currently leading the Formula 2 championship and wanted by Toro Rosso.
The Red Bull B-team wanted to hand Norris his F1 debut in the Austrian GP next month just ahead of the British GP as a replacement for Brendon Hartley.
However, the move was blocked by McLaren, who currently employ the driver as their reserve.
Toro Rosso, who have previously handed F1 debuts to Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, are understood to be unimpressed by Hartley’s performances this season.
The New Zealander has been out-classed by his younger team-mate, Pierre Gasly.
Norris, from Glastonbury, has been dubbed the new Lewis Hamilton, had a glittering career in karting.
Last season he won the Formula 3 title and already leads the F2 championship by 27 points in his debut season.
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This year, he is combining his roles in F2 with McLaren’s reserve driver role – a position once held by four-time world champion, Hamilton.
And there is growing speculation that he could be promoted to the McLaren first team should Fernando Alonso decided to quit F1 once his contract expires at the end of the season.
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