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Marko turns up the heat on "weak" Norris: 'Not the strongest mentally'
Helmut Marko remains confident Max Verstappen will win the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, partly because the Dutchman is mentally stronger. Marko believes Norris will feel the additional pressure he has on his shoulders in the final six race weekends of the season.
Verstappen remains at the top of the World Championship, but his lead has reduced since the summer break. Norris has a 52-point gap to bridge with six Grands Prix and three sprint races remaining. This means Verstappen can lose an average of 8.66 points per race weekend to the McLaren driver. He has only lost an average of 5.33 points per weekend to Norris in the past six races. If this trend continues, Verstappen will win the 2024 F1 World Championship.
Does Verstappen have a mental advantage over Norris?
McLaren has won three of the last four Grands Prix and have the momentum heading into the last six weekends. Speaking to the Austrian oe24, Marko highlighted that Norris should be much closer. "We are clearly in an upward trend. McLaren is consistently fast, but they probably waited too long to make a clear decision around Norris. So he is still far behind Max, who we hope can now get a car he is more confident in. Our mechanics have new parts and are optimistic," Marko said. Red Bull Racing will introduce upgrades at this weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Besides the car, Marko also highlights another advantage: "He (Verstappen) is the best mentally and as a driver. In addition, Norris has weak race starts and he is also not the strongest mentally. The pressure increases with every race because he has to win every race to catch up. That makes it easier for Max to defend. And with Austin and Mexico, two tracks suit him very well," Marko concluded.
This article has been created in collaboration with Tim Kraaij
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