Helmut Marko shares ‘certain weaknesses’ he’s seen in Lando Norris during Max Verstappen title fight

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The battle between Red Bull triple-world champion Max Verstappen and McLaren star Lando Norris could go right down to the wire this season.

Lando Norris needs to overcome a 52-point deficit to Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship to secure a historic first title for the Brit.

That’s not going to be easy as Verstappen has shown time and again that he’s capable of outperforming his Red Bull given the huge gap between himself and teammate Sergio Perez.

Red Bull are set to deliver an upgrade in Austin that will likely make or break their chances of winning the Constructors’ Championship and helping Verstappen win his fourth consecutive title.

McLaren have been cautious about installing new updates given how many issues their rivals have had when adding new parts to their cars.

Every manufacturer is trying to deliver as much downforce as possible with each new update, but this has come as a detriment to the balance of the car, making it harder to maximise performance.

Helmut Marko was speaking on the Motorsport Magazin YouTube channel about the title battle and is very confident that Verstappen will get over the line.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko? Everything to know

Although Red Bull’s updates may or may not play a part, Marko believes that Verstappen is simply superior to Norris currently.

Not only does he believe that the 27-year-old is the fastest driver, but he’s identified several ‘weaknesses’ in Norris that the Dutchman can exploit.

Helmut Marko explains ‘certain weaknesses’ he’s seen in McLaren star Lando Norris

Asked who he thinks will be the world champion this season, Marko simply said: “Verstappen.”

Marko was then asked why he thinks the Dutchman will win a fourth title and explained: “[He’s] the best; he’s the fastest and above all, has the mental strength compared to Charles Leclerc who could fight for a while theoretically, and Lando Norris.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration

“We know he has certain weaknesses in his mental state.

“I have read about certain rituals he has to do on race day so that he can even perform well.”

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Marko’s never been someone to mince his words when it comes to analysing drivers.

Former Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat recalled one conversation with Marko where he was told he was one race away from his racing career coming to an end.

Norris has had a faster car than Verstappen arguably since the Miami Grand Prix but hasn’t been able to capitalise on that advantage.

Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc are two of the most recent drivers to have taken points off the 24-year-old and that may end up costing Norris at this season’s finale at Abu Dhabi.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Verstappen’s ability also has to be taken into consideration and it’s very rare that the 27-year-old doesn’t extract the maximum potential out of his car.

Not only that, David Coulthard believes Verstappen is F1’s best overtaker now that Daniel Ricciardo has left the sport.

Norris may disagree with that after their battle in Austria, although in recent races, Verstappen hasn’t been able to get close enough to either McLaren to try and pull off one of his trademark moves.