Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen has one ‘psychological’ advantage over Lando Norris

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Max Verstappen has muscled his way back into contention for the drivers’ title, and Helmut Marko has highlighted the one ‘psychological’ advantage he has over championship leader Lando Norris.

McLaren’s double disqualification at the Las Vegas Grand Prix was the worst possible result that they could have come away from Sin City with.

Like so many who grace the Las Vegas Strip, their gambles on setup ended up backfiring and put the ball in Max Verstappen’s court for him to take maximum points from the weekend and move up to just 24 points behind Lando Norris in the lead of the F1 standings.

Norris’ McLaren counterpart, Oscar Piastri, has made it clear that he won’t be helping his teammate to secure a drivers’ title for McLaren, given the fact that he is also level on points with the Dutchman, and is still well within a chance of clinching the title for himself.

• READ MORE: Lando Norris shares whether he’s treating Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri equally in F1 title fight

Helmut Marko highlights the ‘psychological’ advantage that Max Verstappen has over Lando Norris

In an interview with Sport ahead of the penultimate round of the season in Qatar, Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko praised his star driver in a verdict on the areas where the Dutchman reigns supreme over Norris.

The Austrian detailed how Verstappen has an upper hand over his title rival through his composure and ‘incredible car control’, which was evident during their battle for track position at the opening corner of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“Max is the one who keeps his cool. Lando braked too late, and suddenly he was in the lead,” Marko added.

The 82-year-old then noted the differences between the composure of Norris depending on the driver in his rear-view mirrors, highlighting the ‘psychological pressure’ that the Red Bull driver imposes on him.

He said, “Lando won the start when Russell was alongside him, he won the start when Leclerc was alongside him – he lost the start after Max was alongside him.

“That shows there’s already psychological pressure, which of course works in our favour.”

“Ultimately, it’s about mental fortitude and also image – Max has this image, he cultivates it and continues to build upon it.”

• READ MORE: Lando Norris hailed for his ‘powerful’ gesture that stopped Max Verstappen ‘messing with him’

Helmut Marko says he hasn’t seen Max Verstappen this relaxed in a ‘long time’

Continuing with his words to Sport, Marko highlighted the demeanour of Verstappen in recent weeks, which is unlike what you would normally expect from someone who has a shot at securing a fifth consecutive world title.

He stated, “Max is more relaxed and confident than he has been in a long time,” before noting that the four-time world champion has “reached new peak performances” during recent Grand Prix race weekends.

“Max is like a terrier, such a small dog, but incredibly tenacious and afraid of nothing,” Marko added.

“Nobody’s nervous, we’re focused on the task at hand. If we succeed, great. If not, we’ll have shown what Red Bull Racing is capable of.”

Former F1 driver Rene Arnoux believes that Verstappen’s resurgence in recent months has been partly down to the incredible luck that the Red Bull star currently has in his favour.

The seven-time Grand Prix winner stated that this advantage of the Dutchman’s simply can’t be underestimated as the season reaches a critical period.