The assault on the current king of Formula 1 is underway, and there are several contenders for the title, but there could be some obstacles. One of them is the resilience of the Dutchman, who leaves nothing to chance and doesn’t back down an inch in the fight. Helmut Marko, well aware of this, believes in a specific characteristic of Max Verstappen in the battle against Lando Norris in the final stretch of the season.
From Miami to Singapore, the world championship battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris has been full of twists and turns, with back-and-forth exchanges between the two. However, the gap in the standings has remained nearly identical, with 52 points in favor of the Dutchman ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Despite this, the performance of the RB20 doesn’t keep him safe, and Verstappen’s “superpowers” are needed to win against Norris.
Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s top advisor and Max Verstappen’s mentor, strongly believes in a specific trait of the Dutchman’s personality. “He’s the best, he’s the fastest,” Marko commented when interviewed by Motorsport-Magazine. “Above all, he has the mental strength to theoretically fight for the championship for a longer period than Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris. We know that Norris has some mental weaknesses. I’ve read about some rituals he needs to perform to get good results on race day.”
A mental strength, a coolness that has been instilled in Max Verstappen for many years, although there are some weaknesses. This was expressed by Mirko Sguerzoni, the first person to discover the Dutchman’s talent, in an exclusive interview for the Italian website f1ingenerale.com about Max Verstappen’s personality. Mirko Sguerzoni told them that Max Verstappen’s mental strength dates back to his early karting days, where Jos made him drive with extremely low tire pressures. “He wanted to get him used to suffering to win,” said Mirko Sguerzoni, and from there, he built his mental toughness and composure.
Additionally, in the battle with Lando Norris, Mirko Sguerzoni believes the British driver is under more pressure than Verstappen and more prone to making mistakes. “I give a lot of credit to Oscar Piastri, I see him much more determined in terms of talent. The car works well, so in the end, I don’t think there’s much difference between the two drivers in terms of speed, but in terms of determination, Oscar Piastri feels less pressure than Norris.” – he pointed out.
Oscar Piastri could be the deciding factor in the world championship fight between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
“Absolutely, now [Norris] faces two pressures, that of Max and Oscar. After all, your first rival is your teammate, so if you’re good or not with the same car, it’s your teammate who tells you. I think he’s realizing that he shouldn’t underestimate him anymore. That said, Norris is an amazing driver, but when the gaps shrink, those small differences become crucial; the little things you can find really matter.”
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