Brown slams Marko for “poor taste” comments on Norris’ “mental strength” · RaceFans

McLaren CEO Zak Brown said Helmut Marko’s recent comments regarding Lando Norris’ mental toughness were “inappropriate”.

Norris is currently in the hunt for championship leader Max Verstappen having won two of the last four races, including the most recent round in Singapore, with team mate Oscar Piastri also winning in Baku.

The McLaren driver is known for being tough on himself, admitting when he believes he has not performed at a high enough level in the car and also being open about the nerves he experiences during qualifying and before a race.

Marko, the outspoken advisor to the world champion Red Bull team, recently suggested that Verstappen holds the advantage in the championship fight between the pair due to his “mental strength.”

“We know Norris has some mental weaknesses,” Marko told Motorsport Magazin. “I’ve read about some of the rituals he needs to do to perform well on race day.”

Speaking in the FIA’s team principal press conference at Circuit of the Americas, Brown sharply criticised Marko’s remarks.

“I read elements, comments which I thought were disappointing – but not surprising,” Brown said.

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“Lando has been kind of an ambassador for mental health. Toto [Wolff]’s spoken about mental health. So I think it’s a serious issue that we’ve tried to talk about to bring to the forefront, make it okay to talk about.

“So to maybe kind of choose [to] poke at that situation I think is pretty inappropriate and kind of sets us back ten, 20 years. But it’s all fun and games in how some people go racing and what tactics they use from a sporting perspective. But I thought that one was in pretty poor taste.”

With only six rounds remaining in the championship and Norris holding a 52-point deficit to Verstappen, Brown says his driver is committed to trying to chase down the championship leader before the end of the season.

“Lando’s very excited for these final six races and the sprints,” he said. “He’s as focussed as ever.

“He comes into the race weekends like Oscar – and like I would imagine all the grand prix drivers – very focussed on the job at hand, sitting down with his engineers, doing his commercial work, his media work, relaxing, et cetera. So he’s very focussed.”

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