May 25 (GMM) Dr Helmut Marko has aimed some rare praise in Monaco pole sitter Lando Norris’ direction.
Norris, the former 2025 championship leader, admitted securing P1 on Saturday was a relief after “a couple of months” of grappling with his otherwise dominant McLaren.
Those interviewing Norris after qualifying noticed a change in demeanour in the 25-year-old – cool and calm rather than over-the-moon with successes or self-deprecating in defeat.
“No it’s not,” Norris protested when told it’s an obvious change in approach.
“I’m happy. That doesn’t mean that I have to show emotion. What do you want me to do – shout?”
Heading into Monaco, Red Bull advisor Marko said the best-case scenario for Max Verstappen if he couldn’t win from pole was a return to form for Norris – so that he and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri continue to chip away at each others’ points.
Norris delivered on the return to form, but Marko was not delighted.
“The gap to pole position is frightening,” said the Austrian. “I am negatively surprised. But I am impressed by McLaren.
“Norris did an excellent job,” Marko admitted. “He stayed cool and he delivered. It will be a casino in the race, but that suits Monte Carlo,” he smiled.
“Crazy things can happen now that everyone has to make two pitstops, but we can’t influence that. When you’re in front, you can determine what happens.
“It’s about what speed McLaren has in the race and when we get a safety car. In that case, the whole field will come in to pit.
“Overtaking is still impossible, even if you’re four seconds quicker. The Formula 2 race with our (Arvid) Lindblad showed us that.”
A major factor for Verstappen’s chances, as he also lines up behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari on Sunday, will be how hard the two title-charging McLaren drivers fight one another.
The smart move for the team might be ‘hold station’ team orders – but McLaren bosses appear unlikely to intervene for now, in part because both Norris’ and Piastri’s contracts reportedly guarantee them equal number 1 status.
When championship leader Piastri was asked if he might be prepared to sacrifice a win to protect Norris’ victory for the team, the Australian paused for a long time.
“How much are you going to pay me?” he finally joked.
“I mean, I want to win the race too. So let’s see what happens. I think it’s going to be a pretty chaotic race, but we’ll see what happens.”
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