Marko: “We know Norris has mental weaknesses; Verstappen will be the champion.”

Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, made comments about the course of the 2024 World Championship competition.

The battle between Red Bull’s three-time world champion Max Verstappen and McLaren star Lando Norris could last until the end of the season.

Lando Norris must close the 52-point gap between him and Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship to secure his first title. This won’t be easy, as Verstappen has repeatedly demonstrated that he can exceed Red Bull’s performance, especially considering the significant gap with his teammate Sergio Perez. Red Bull is preparing to make an update in Austin that will increase their chances of winning the Constructors’ Championship and help Verstappen secure his fourth consecutive title.

McLaren has been cautious about bringing new updates, given how many issues their rivals have encountered when adding new parts to their cars. Every team tries to generate as much downforce as possible with each new update, but this can complicate maximizing performance by disrupting the car’s balance.

Helmut Marko spoke about the championship battle on the Motorsport Magazin YouTube channel and expressed his strong belief that Verstappen will win this competition. Regardless of whether Red Bull’s updates play a role, Marko believes Verstappen is currently superior to Norris. He stated that he thinks the Dutch driver is the fastest and pointed out some of Norris’s “weaknesses,” suggesting that these shortcomings could be exploited by Verstappen.

When asked who he thinks will be the world champion this season, Marko simply replied, “Verstappen.” He explained why he believes Verstappen will be the champion: “He is the best, the fastest, and most importantly, he has the mental strength to compete for the championship for a while longer compared to Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.”

“We know Norris has some mental weaknesses.” He added, “I’ve read about some rituals he needs to perform to deliver good performances on race day.” Marko has never been one to hold back when analyzing drivers. Red Bull’s former driver Daniil Kvyat revealed that Marko told him there was only one race left in his career.

Despite having a faster car than Verstappen since the Miami Grand Prix, Norris has failed to capitalize on this advantage. Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc are the last two drivers to score points against Norris, and this situation could cost him dearly in the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen’s talents must also be considered, as it is rare to see the 27-year-old fail to extract maximum potential from his car.

Indeed, former F1 driver David Coulthard believes Verstappen is the best overtaker in F1 following Daniel Ricciardo’s retirement from the sport. Norris may not agree with this view after their battles in Austria, but in recent races, Verstappen has not been fast enough to get close to either McLaren and has not had the opportunity to execute one of his characteristic moves.