McLaren's Zak Brown has criticized Red Bull's Helmut Marko for suggesting that Lando Norris lacks the mental fortitude to challenge Max Verstappen, calling the remarks 'inappropriate' and 'in poor taste'. Marko, Red Bull's motorsport advisor, had stated that Norris is 'not the strongest mentally' ahead of the US Grand Prix. Norris, 24, has previously discussed his mental health challenges, especially during the early stages of his Formula One career.
Brown expressed his disappointment with Marko's comments, noting that Norris has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness. 'To choose to poke at that situation is pretty inappropriate and it sets us back 10 or 20 years,' Brown said. He added that while racing tactics can be playful, this particular comment was in 'pretty poor taste'.
Norris' recent win in Singapore has narrowed the gap to Verstappen to 52 points, with 180 points still available in the remaining six races. Norris has gained 26 points on Verstappen in the last four races. An additional eight points will be up for grabs in Austin with a sprint race on Saturday. Verstappen secured pole position for the sprint race, edging out George Russell by just 0.012 seconds. Charles Leclerc will start from third, ahead of Norris, with Lewis Hamilton in seventh.
Norris received a potential championship boost after Red Bull was ordered by the FIA to make changes to their car. Rival teams alleged that Red Bull had been using a contentious device to adjust their car's setup between qualifying and the race, which is not explicitly prohibited. Red Bull acknowledged the device's existence but claimed it cannot be accessed once the car is built.
Brown emphasized that any breach of parc ferme rules should result in consequences. 'We are asking questions as to whether it has been used in an inappropriate manner,' he said. 'It is up to the FIA to get on top of it and come up with a solution that is transparent and satisfactory to all the teams.'
In response, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Sky that 'there has been a bit of moaning from one of our rivals'. He added that the FIA is responsible for investigating such matters and that the component in question has been on an open-source list for three years. 'The FIA are satisfied but [it is sealed] to satisfy a bit of paranoia elsewhere in the paddock,' Horner said, suggesting that some teams might be trying to distract from their own issues.
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