“I think poking around in this is pretty inappropriate and it sets us back ten or twenty years,” emphasized Brown. Marko had suggested that McLaren driver Norris had “mental weaknesses” compared to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The 81-year-old Austrian said in an interview with the online portal OE24 that Verstappen would win the World Cup again because the Dutchman was the best mentally and drivingly. Marko had added: “Norris has a weak start and he’s not the strongest in the head. The pressure increases with every race because in reality he has to win every time to catch up.” Before the US Grand Prix, Norris is in second place in the World Championship standings, 52 points behind Verstappen.
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“Disappointing but not surprising”
Brown said he had read the comments and “they are disappointing, but not surprising.” Norris (24) is something of an ambassador for mental health. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also spoke about it. “I think this is a serious topic that we are trying to talk about and bring to the fore,” explained the McLaren boss.
“I really don’t mind if people say what they want to say about me, good or bad,” Norris responded to Marko’s comments. “Everyone tries to play their role, whether it’s team bosses, drivers or managers. Everyone tries to do the same and everyone tries to make their little taunts and comments.”
Norris recently spoke openly about the fact that he was still very nervous before races and qualifications. On Sundays, for example, he can hardly eat or drink anything because of the nerves and pressure.
Known for controversial comments
Marko is known for his controversial comments. Last year he was forced to apologize following controversial comments about Mexican Red Bull driver Sergio Perez after he linked his erratic form to Perez’s ethnic origins.
At a press conference on Friday, Brown also commented on the height adjustability issue on the Red Bull car and warned of “massive consequences” if it turns out that the world champion team has violated the Formula 1 rules. Red Bull had admitted the existence of a corresponding device on the car, but also explained that it would no longer be accessible once the cars were fully assembled and ready for use.
For Brown, there are still questions about this. “I think there needs to be a very thorough investigation. I’m not the only one who is concerned about what we saw and heard,” said the McLaren CEO.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said he had noticed “paranoia” and added that his team was completely fine with race officials investigating the device. “It’s on a list of open source components, so it’s been publicly available for three years. The FIA is happy with it. I think it’s just about satisfying a certain paranoia in the paddock,” said Horner.
