Marko under fire from McLaren after Norris ‘mental weaknesses’ comments

In German publication Motorsport Magazin, Helmut Marko — head of Red Bull’s driver development program — accused McLaren driver Lando Norris as having “some mental weaknesses” when compared to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has taken exception to the comments, telling media that Marko’s comments are in fact more severe than the occasional curse word dropped by a driver in the heat of the moment.

McLaren boss: Every driver is “different from an emotional point of view”

In the buildup to the United States Grand Prix weekend, Motorsport Magazin reported that Helmut Marko felt McLaren driver Lando Norris “has some mental weaknesses.”

While it isn’t completely clear what Marko was referring to specifically, many fans and pundits have spoken out about the Red Bull advisor’s comments — particularly from the McLaren camp.

In a press conference ahead of the US Grand Prix, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown claimed Marko’s comments set Formula 1 back “10 to 20 years” after there has been such a contemporary push to understand the impact that a high-stress environment can have on mental health.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has now also addressed the comments to media, first by drawing on his own experience with countless drivers throughout his tenure in motorsport.

“First of all, just because you make reference to myself having worked with great drivers, I can say that each driver was very, very different, but all incredibly exceptional,” Stella told media, including PlanetF1.com, in Texas.

“Superb from a driving point of view, but very different from an emotional point of view, view of life, the way they were using their spare time, the way in which they were aggressive in the car. Very different.”

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To further his point, Stella made reference to Michael Schumacher. While Formula 1 fans recognise Schumacher as one of the greatest drivers in the sport’s history, Stella pointed out that even the seven-time champion faced doubts during his career.

“Michael [Schumacher] was, you know, he appeared to be very self confident, but actually his confidence came from working with the team,” Stella explained.

“Himself, sometimes he wasn’t very confident at all.

“The confidence was coming through the work ethics, the work that you put into what you’re doing, therefore you know you’re doin a good job. You see the result. You gain your confidence.

“And we are talking about Michael Schumacher, right?”

Stella continued by saying that Marko’s comments were “a huge missed opportunity.”

“The missed opportunity is that rather than reinforcing the support to the work that has happened over the last couple of decades — above all, the last decade — in the openness around talking of mental health issues. They are so important.

“I was actually proud of what F1 have been able to do, what the drivers have been able to do, or sportspeople when they talk about that.

“Lando has been an ambassador of talking openly that sometimes it’s OK not to be OK, and not necessarily about this being about him, but the topic.”

According to the McLaren boss, Marko’s comments were deeply damaging and set a precedent that defies what so many people in F1 have worked so hard to achieve.

“Then you hear what Helmut said, and it’s like you destroy in a comment the work of 20 years,” Stella said.

“For me, this is much more severe in terms of what a member of the F1 community has said than one bad word in the wrong place.”

Stella is of course referring to the ongoing discussion about whether or not it is appropriate for a driver to curse in particular contexts.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem slammed the use of curse words, and when Max Verstappen swore in an FIA press conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, he was punished.

Andrea Stella argues that Helmut Marko’s comments on Norris’ “mental weaknesses” are more damaging than a curse word.

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