AUSTIN – McLaren boss Zak Brown has accused Pink Bull’s Helmut Marko of setting System 1 again 10 or 20 years for feedback he current made about Lando Norris’ supposed “psychological weaknesses,” including they had been in “poor style.”

Norris is in a title combat with Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen and finds himself 52 factors behind behind forward of the U.S. Grand Prix.

Earlier this yr, Norris admitted that he struggles to eat or drink earlier than F1 races due to the nerves and nervousness he feels within the hours earlier than a grand prix.

Marko appeared to reference these feedback in an interview with German publication Motorsport-Magazin.

“[Max] is the most effective, he is the quickest and, above all, he has the psychological energy to theoretically combat for the world championship greater than Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris,” Marko stated.

“We all know Norris has some psychological weaknesses. I’ve examine a number of the rituals he must do to carry out properly on race day.”

Norris has been outspoken about his struggles with psychological well being since becoming a member of F1, whereas seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff have additionally talked candidly on the subject.

“I learn Helmut’s feedback, which I assumed had been disappointing however not stunning,” Brown stated. “Lando has been type of an envoy for psychological well being. Toto has spoken about psychological well being, so I believe it is a critical difficulty that we have tried to speak about and convey to the forefront.

“Poking at that state of affairs I believe is fairly inappropriate and type of units us again 10, 20 years. Nevertheless it’s all enjoyable and video games in how some individuals go racing and what techniques they use from a sporting perspective, however I assumed that one was in fairly poor style.”

In 2021, Norris wrote on the web site for UK charity MIND: “Regardless of making it to F1 — one thing I had dreamt of ever since I started racing — I discovered myself questioning my very own self-belief: worrying if I had what it took, evaluating myself with my teammate and different drivers.

“It screws together with your head. It is powerful to cope with and I am certain many different drivers have struggled with it prior to now.”

Hamilton has additionally talked about his battle with melancholy “from an early age”, whereas his Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has talked candidly on the topic too.