Zak Brown criticizes Marko's 'disrespectful' comments about Norris
AUSTIN - McLaren boss Zak Brown has strongly criticized Red Bull's Helmut Marko for his recent comments about Lando Norris.
Norris, currently competing for the championship against Red Bull's Max Verstappen, trails by 52 points as they head into the U.S. Grand Prix. This has heightened the tension around the comments made by Marko regarding Norris' mental health.
Earlier in the year, Norris opened up about his pre-race struggles with nerves and anxiety, which often make it difficult for him to eat or drink before a grand prix. Marko seemed to allude to these challenges in an interview with German publication Motorsport-Magazin.
"[Max] is the best, he's the fastest and, above all, he has the mental strength to theoretically fight for the world championship more than Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris," Marko stated. "We know Norris has some mental weaknesses. I've read about some of the rituals he needs to do to perform well on race day."
Norris has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness since his entry into F1.
"I read Helmut's comments, which I thought were disappointing but not surprising," Brown responded. "Lando has been kind of an ambassador for mental health. Toto has spoken about mental health, so I think it's a serious issue that we've tried to talk about and bring to the forefront.
"Poking 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."
In 2021, Norris contributed an article to the UK charity MIND, where he wrote, "Despite making it to F1 -- something I had dreamt of ever since I began racing -- I found myself questioning my own self-belief: worrying if I had what it took, comparing myself with my teammate and other drivers. It screws with your head. It's tough to deal with and I'm sure many other drivers have struggled with it in the past."
Hamilton has also discussed his battle with depression "from an early age," while Wolff has been candid about his own mental health challenges.
As the conversation around mental health in Formula 1 continues to evolve, comments like those made by Marko serve as a reminder of the importance of sensitivity and awareness in the high-pressure world of elite motorsport.
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