McLaren and Norris advised: "They need to get everything right to beat Max"
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Tom Kristensen, legendary Le Mans winner, has spoken about what makes Max Verstappen so strong and therefore so difficult to beat in F1. Alluding to the Dutchman's mental strength, the Dane explains that whoever wants to beat Verstappen will have to "operate at 100%, every race," something McLaren and Lando Norris are yet to be able to do.
"Once you learn how to win, you become even stronger mentally," stated Kristensen to Motorsport-Magazine, who despite noting that the Woking based team had evolved throughout the season, also saw that McLaren's efforts were good enough for the Constructor's championship only. "They have the confidence and speed they need, but they know it will take more to beat [Verstappen]."
The run up to turn one at the start of a Grand Prix was a talking point last season, since their lead driver, Norris, started on pole 8 times in 2024, and only managed to keep the lead by the start of the second lap in but one of those occasions, something Kristensen believes is due to the Briton not being stern enough in his battles with Verstappen. "If you want to beat Max in the race to turn one, you need to be firmer in the battles."
"We've seen [also] good starts from Norris, but there are times when the team drops points due to a [poor] strategy. If they want to challenge Max, everything has to be right. They have to operate at 100 per cent - every race," said the 57-year-old Dane, who speaks with authority on the subject of winning, since he himself has won the 24 hours of Le Mans a record 9 times, achieving 6 of them consecutively.
Verstappen's self belief keeps him consistent
Even though Verstappen's starts have been strong in 2024, focusing on solely this aspect would be a reductionist approach. In order to beat the four time world champion the competition has to mount a stronger challenge on all fronts, particularly during the initial phases of a Grand Prix. "They have to be not only faster, but also mentally stronger, especially during the opening laps. It's about not succumbing to the pressure," added the Dane before pointing to his interpretation of Verstappen's mental and more holistic approach in terms of the championship. "If he is not fast, it doesn't matter [to him] much, because he knows he will dominate again next time," concluded Kristensen.
This article was made in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
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