Marko sees potential world champion in Norris: 'Not the best material'

Helmut Marko expects Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc to be the two world championship contenders this season. However, according to the Red Bull Racing advisor, Lando Norris is also good enough to fight it out, but his car is letting him down for now.

The new regulations that have been in place since this season are turning Formula 1 as a whole upside down. Whereas since the hybrid era of 2014 Mercedes was invariably the favorite for the world title, the German racing stable for the time being fails to keep up with the top teams.

Red Bull, on the other hand, did continue last season's line. Together with Ferrari it seems to have the best chance to win the world title. The expectations around McLaren prior to the season were also high, but partly due to brake problems, the racing year has not yet gone as the racing stable would have hoped.

The situation is annoying for Norris who had hoped to compete with Verstappen. Marko is convinced that the Briton is ready to compete for the lead of the standings. "The only driver I see coming into this battle in terms of talent is Norris. But he doesn't have the best material at the moment," Marko concluded to Auto, Motor und Sport.