Helmut Marko makes dig at Lando Norris after he failed to pass Max Verstappen at Belgian GP

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The Belgian Grand Prix was another missed opportunity for McLaren driver Lando Norris after watching the gap to Max Verstappen further increase in the Drivers’ Championship.

Lando Norris was starting seven positions ahead of his championship rival after an unspectacular qualifying session for the McLaren driver.

He initially benefitted from Verstappen’s grid penalty but just a few laps later they were running nose-to-tail.

Marc Priestley critiqued Norris’s first lap when he made a mistake coming out of the hairpin, while Verstappen quickly picked off some of the slower cars in front of him.

Norris then handed a place back to Carlos Sainz after running wide at the turn four chicane and the two drivers spent most of the rest of the race together.

An unusual strategy from McLaren allowed Verstappen to undercut him and from there, the 24-year-old spent the rest of the race getting a very good view of Verstappen’s rear wing.

It means heading into the summer break, Verstappen has a 78-point lead over his closest rival, although the Constructors’ Championship is a much more pressing concern for both driver’s teams.

Speaking after the race, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko couldn’t help but have a dig at Norris following his performance at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Marko is never shy to share his opinions and will be delighted that Verstappen managed to maintain his lead in the standings despite taking an engine penalty.

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Helmut Marko makes a dig at Lando Norris after the Belgian Grand Prix

Throughout the race weekend, Norris never looked completely on it, failing to put in any spectacular laps in Q1 and Q2 before eventually setting the fifth-fastest time in Q3.

His sloppy start comes after losing the lead of the race in Hungary from pole position and he was lucky only three cars rushed past him on the run down to Eau Rouge on lap one.

Posting on X after the race, Van Haren said: “At Red Bull, they are especially happy that Norris/McLaren have not continuously snatched a lot of points in recent weeks, at least looking at individual World Cup standings.

“Helmut Marko: ‘It seems Piastri is mentally the stronger driver at McLaren.’”

Marko explained further after the race talking to Sky Deutschland, saying Piastri even looks ‘faster in some areas’ than Norris.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Helmut Marko has a summer break decision to make to protect Red Bull’s advantage

Although Norris could have done more and Marko believes he’s got work to do to match Piastri when it comes to his mentality, things aren’t going well enough at Red Bull for him to be able to concentrate on their rivals.

The summer break comes at a time when Sergio Perez is less than two months into his new Red Bull deal but potentially already coming to the end of it.

Marko will take part in talks over Perez’s future this week that could see the Mexican replaced by one of Red Bull’s other drivers.

Daniel Ricciardo is the most likely candidate to replace Perez but not Marko’s preferred candidate.

Instead, Marko would like Liam Lawson to be promoted but that doesn’t align with team principal Christian Horner.

This leaves the team in a predicament and with no outstanding candidate that the group can agree on, Perez might survive on that technicality.

The summer break provides teams with the opportunity to recharge but may also give one driver four weeks to learn all about the RB20.