'Mentally weak' Lando Norris not a match for Max Verstappen in the title fight, claims paddock veteran

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko believes that a mentally weak Lando Norris would not be a match for Max Verstappen in the title fight. The two drivers are currently top 2 in the championship standings, battling it out for the top position.

McLaren has surged this season and become a force at the front of the grid. At the same time, Red Bull has struggled, the performances have dipped, and the team, which was leading the championship standings at the start of the season, is struggling right now. Verstappen leads the championship with a healthy 52-point advantage over Norris.

This advantage does look big enough with just six race weekends left but there have been races in the second half of the season where Verstappen has had the 4th fastest car on the grid. Red Bull consultant Marko, however, does not think that Lando Norris, or for that matter, even Charles Leclerc, can challenge the Dutch driver.

Talking about how Verstappen was a mentally stronger driver compared to the two, Marko told Motorsport Magazin,

"He's 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."

The Austrian even took a dig at the McLaren driver and pointed out how Norris has some mental weaknesses that could thwart him in the long run. He said,

"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,"

Max Verstappen feels the current title battle involving Lando Norris is different from 2021

Max Verstappen feels that the current championship battle that includes Lando Norris is different from what he had against Lewis Hamilton in 2021. Talking about how that battle was different, the Dutch driver explained that this season, four different teams are very close to the front.

This was not the case in 2021 when it was just between Verstappen and Hamilton. He said,

"Yes, because right now we still have four teams at the front, while back then you just had the same two people up front. Of course, 2021 was my first world championship, so that was very different already. I think I'm a bit more relaxed about it now."

He added,

"Of course, I want to win and of course, I'm going to do my best to defend that [52-point] lead. But the feeling is very different from 2021."

The driver will be heading into the race weekend in Austin hoping that the Red Bull upgrade works because if it doesn't, the threat is going to be much bigger from Lando Norris.