McLaren boss blasts Red Bull rival’s comments on Lando Norris

McLaren team boss Zak Brown has reacted angrily to Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko’s comments about Lando Norris.

Helmut Marko and Lando Norris. Photos: Getty Images

McLaren team boss Zak Brown slammed Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko’s comments on Lando Norris’s mental strength as “tasteless”.

Speaking to reporters at the United States Grand Prix ahead of sprint qualifying, Brown said he had read the comments, made by Marko, and found them “disappointing, but not surprising”.

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Marko, 81, told Motorsport Magazin that Red Bull “know Norris has some mental weaknesses.

“I’ve read about some of the rituals he needs to do to perform well on race day.”

Helmut Marko and Lando Norris. Photos: Getty Images

He recently claimed that Red Bull driver and world champion Max Verstappen, who has not won in eight races and is defending a 52-point race lead in the championship, held an advantage over title rival Norris due to his “mental strength”.

Verstappen claimed five of the first seven races of 2024 and consecutive events in Canada and Spain in June to break open a huge lead, but hasn’t won since.

Norris took out the Miami Grand Prix before more victories at the Dutch and Singapore races, while teammate Oscar Piastri also has two wins this year as McLaren took control of the constructors’ championship.

Zak Brown wasn’t impressed with Helmut Marko’s comments. (Photo by Mark Sutton/Getty Images via AFP)

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

“Lando has been kind of an ambassador for mental health. (Mercedes team chief) Toto Wolff has 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 OK to talk about.

“So to poke at that situation, I think is pretty inappropriate and kind of sets us back 10, 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.”

Brown added that Norris was “very excited for these final six races and the sprints” and “is as focused as ever”.

Originally published as McLaren boss blasts Red Bull rival’s comments on Lando Norris