Verstappen 'mentally strongest' as Norris crashes – Marko

Apr.20 (GMM) Lando Norris is in danger of losing his championship lead after crashing out of Q3 in Saudi Arabia.

At the same time, reigning world champion Max Verstappen is back on pole, reinforcing his value to the now often-struggling Red Bull team amid swirling rumours he could leave at the end of 2025.

“What we can count on every single time is Max,” said team advisor Dr Helmut Marko, who contrasted the Dutchman with McLaren’s increasingly-nervous Norris.

“I consider Max not only the fastest driver, but also the mentally strongest. Certainly, a setback like Norris’s today takes its toll on his confidence,” Marko added. “We have to take advantage of that.”

Norris, P10 on the grid, immediately denounced himself on the radio as a “f***ing idiot”, and later told reporters “I stand by that statement”.

“It is quite difficult to overtake here, so I don’t expect too much,” he said. “If you are leading the race here, it is all pretty easy.”

Sebastian Vettel, in Saudi Arabia this week and weekend, defended Norris amid his growing reputation for mental weakness.

“Don’t we all have good and bad moments, whether we’re in Formula 1 or in another job?” said the retired four-time world champion.

As for Red Bull’s step forward at Jeddah, it’s partly the track layout, but also some upgrades that were added to the troublesome 2025 car. “We made small improvements here and hope that the same will happen in Miami,” said Marko.

“Then there will be something else in Imola. So it is not one big upgrade, but step by step.”

Verstappen, meanwhile, traces McLaren’s surge to dominance in F1 as linked to former Red Bull designer Rob Marshall making his way to Woking last year.

The Dutchman said he is particularly good at clever wing flexibility.

“Yes, I think he makes the difference there,” said Verstappen when asked about Marshall and wing flexing. “When he joined, you could see it straight away.”

The 27-year-old said he’s happy Red Bull is now making progress after a difficult start to the season. “At least now we know what’s going on,” said Verstappen.

“Last year it took until Monza before we even knew where to look. That’s a bit clearer now, which gives us hope that we can bring upgrades that actually improve the balance.”