Helmut Marko has fired a dig at Lando Norris, suggesting that the McLaren star has ‘mental weaknesses’ that will allow Max Verstappen to claim a fourth Drivers’ Championship title this year.
The Brit is chasing down Verstappen and trails the Dutchman by 52 points heading into the upcoming triple header. However, while that deficit seems daunting, Norris has two wins in the past four races, while his title rival is without a win in his last eight Grand Prix starts.
At the current rate of scoring, Norris and Verstappen are trending towards a winner-takes-all showdown at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, although any slip-ups from the Red Bull racer could put him in a precarious position heading into round 24 at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Despite the pressure Verstappen is facing, Marko doesn’t believe that Norris has the mentality required to compete for the title. Asked for his verdict on who will take home the crown in 2024, he told Motorsport Magazin: “Verstappen.
“He is the best, he’s the fastest and, above all, he has the mental strength to theoretically fight for the world championship more than Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. We know Norris has some mental weaknesses. I’ve read about some of the rituals he needs to do to perform well on race day.”
Despite Marko’s lack of confidence, Norris believes he has what it takes to win. After the race in Singapore, he told Sky Sports F1: “I still have a lot of points I’ve got to catch up and it’s not going to be easy to do it.
“It’s against Red Bull and it’s against Max, the most dominant pairing you’ve ever seen in Formula One, from last year. And that’s not necessarily changed in terms of… It’s the same team and it’s the same driver.
“So, I have some of the toughest competition that Formula One has ever seen in the sport. We are doing a better job as a team right now because my car and our car is quicker than theirs.
“But that’s just credit to the team doing an amazing job and being smarter and doing cooler things and creating mini-DRS flaps and stuff. I’m working my heart out, I’m working my butt off, to try and make sure that happens. He’s trying to make sure it doesn’t happen. So we’ll have to wait and find out.”
