Max Verstappen's superior "mental strength" could make the difference in securing his fourth consecutive drivers' world championship in 2024, according to Red Bull advisor and longtime mentor, Dr. Helmut Marko. Marko drew comparisons between the Dutchman's resilience and that of his title rival, Lando Norris.
"Norris, as we know, has certain weaknesses at the (race) starts," Marko told motorsport-magazin.com. He elaborated on this by highlighting other struggles Norris faces, "For example, he has to follow certain rituals on race day in order to be able to perform at all."
At 24, Norris is two years younger than his close off-track friend Verstappen. The McLaren driver has openly admitted that pre-race nerves sometimes prevent him from eating or drinking. Marko humorously suggested that Red Bull could offer Norris some food at the next race. "Back in Barcelona, with their burned-out kitchen, we offered that to McLaren, but it was not accepted," Marko said with a grin.
Despite Verstappen's 52-point lead and recent car struggles, Marko remains confident that Verstappen is the favorite for the title. "He is the best, the fastest, and, in terms of mental strength, the safest," he asserted.
Marko also believes McLaren needs more time to mature as a team before fully capitalizing on their improved car performance. "You can see that McLaren has made a relatively large number of mistakes, both in terms of strategy and in the operational area," Marko added. He referenced Red Bull's own journey to the top, saying, "We lost the world championship in 2009, even though we had the faster car in the second half of the season, because we weren't yet mature and settled enough as a team."
Former F1 driver Timo Glock, however, sees added pressure on Verstappen due to his lead in the championship. "The pressure is mainly on Verstappen because he has to manage the lead," Glock told web.de. "For Norris, he only has to take each race as it comes and win all of them. That's all he can do."
Still, Glock agrees with Marko that Verstappen holds the upper hand. "Max gained a lot of experience during the 2021 title fight against Lewis Hamilton. He knows how to deal with tense and difficult situations," Glock added.
Meanwhile, new Audi F1 boss Mattia Binotto recently commented that Red Bull's dominant cycle might be nearing its end. "Cycles have a beginning and an end, as always in F1. And Red Bull's is at the end," he told Corriere della Sera.
Glock echoed this sentiment, noting, "There has been so much unrest at Red Bull that we see can even make a top team falter. They need to now find the cause of the poor sporting development, whether it's the outdated wind tunnel, the floor, or something else."
