Helmut Marko makes ‘real champion’ dig at Lando Norris after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen is on the brink of winning the Formula 1 world championship after his remarkable victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Verstappen has now opened up a 62-point lead over Lando Norris with just three races to go.

If Verstappen finishes ahead of Norris at the Las Vegas GP later this month, he will officially win the title. There are 60 points up for grabs at the final two rounds, so that’s the key number.

While Norris could still theoretically match Verstappen, the Dutchman is guaranteed to finish the year with more wins (eight versus three). Thus he already owns the primary tiebreaker.

It had looked like it could be the weekend to ignite Norris’ title bid. He’d trimmed his rival’s lead to 44 points after the Sprint, aided by McLaren’s team orders to Oscar Piastri and Verstappen’s penalty for a virtual safety car breach.

More significantly, he started the race on pole position, with Verstappen down in 17th – his lowest grid spot of the season. A Q2 exit was compounded by a five-place penalty for an ICE change.

But on Sunday, Verstappen produced one of the greatest drivers of his career, scything through the field to win. Norris, meanwhile, dropped to sixth following a poorly-timed red flag and a couple of errors.

Helmut Marko says Max Verstappen was faultless at Brazilian Grand Prix – unlike Lando Norris

Speaking to Dutch publication De Telegraaf moments before he boarded his helicopter with Jos Verstappen, Helmut Marko aimed his latest dig at Norris. He believes the title race is now over.

Many made the point that one DNF or scoreless weekend for Verstappen could dramatically swing the battle in Norris’ favour. But few acknowledged that a race like Sao Paulo could also settle it for good.

Marko hailed a ‘faultless’ performance from his superstar driver while pointedly referring to Norris’ mistakes. The Englishman lost two positions when he locked up and ran wide at turn one at the safety car restart, and also handed a place back to George Russell with a separate error.

“All this nonsense that has been spread and then this,” Marko said. “Max was flying. He was faultless and we couldn’t say that about Lando Norris.

“Whether this is a giant step towards the title? No, I think this is the title. Here you could see who the real champion is.”

Why Helmut Marko’s latest remarks will infuriate McLaren boss Zak Brown

This certainly isn’t the first time Marko has been publicly critical of Norris. He’s embraced mind games more than anyone else in the Red Bull or McLaren camps.

Last month, Marko predicted Verstappen would beat Norris because of ‘certain weaknesses in his mental state’. This is the first time the 24-year-old has been in the title conversation.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown was unhappy with those comments, calling them ‘inappropriate’. In response, Marko accused Brown of ‘stirring up’ trouble.

The American will no doubt be angry when he reads his counterpart’s latest public jibe. It will fuel his motivation for 2025, when McLaren will look to beat the Bulls in both championships.