“Lewis, Not”: Helmut Marko Brutally Snubs Hamilton to Side With Max Verstappen’s Pick for ‘Superteam’

Formula 1 has periods when one team mercilessly dominates all of its rivals. 2014 to 2020 was all about Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. The scales balanced in 2021, with Red Bull joining the party for the World Championship. At the very end of the year, the scales tipped in the favor of Max Verstappen and since then, Red Bull has been topping all-time charts. Now, what would happen if you were to put both these drivers in the current fastest car to make a ‘Superteam’? Don’t give it too much thought because Helmut Marko has already sidelined the 7x champ from contention for the RB seat to go with Verstappen’s teammate preference.

Sergio Perez hasn’t been the best teammate for Verstappen this year. Though the Dutchman doesn’t need any support of any kind, having a competent teammate alongside is always good for the team. But the intense rivalry that he has with Hamilton might not make them a well-functioning duo for Red Bull. Moreover, in his latest interaction with the media, the 2x champ told Sky Sports about having conversations with his good friend, Lando Norris about teaming up in the future: “We talk about it. But he’s contracted to #McLaren for a long time. We’ll see what happens in the future,” said the Dutchman.

Verstappen’s dream of driving alongside Norris might just be coming true. Though the McLaren contract is a variable that isn’t in his hands, having Marko’s approval of this driver pairing has been ticked off the list. In an interview with Motorsport Journalist Christian Menath, the Austrian made his view clear that he doesn’t want Hamilton anywhere near the 2nd Red Bull seat.

Disclosing the interaction he had with Marko, Menath said, “I had an interview with Helmut Marko during the summer break and I asked him about a ‘superteam’, if they need another superstar next to Max Verstappen, and he was open to it. I asked, would you put someone like Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton next to Max and he said, ‘Lewis, not’, but Lando Norris I can imagine’.”

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These quotes from Marko come in contrast to what he’s said in the past. He has mentioned on more than one occasion how he would never choose an equally competent driver of Verstappen’s level to be alongside him. This would ensure very little resistance between the two. But looking at Norris’ current exploits, he has been deemed to match Verstappen soon. That, for Marko, could be a big problem.

“Very Highly” rated Lando Norris touted to draw level with Max Verstappen

Ever since he joined McLaren, Lando Norris has proven that he has the potential to be a future World Champion. As the MCL60 gets quicker with time in 2023, he too has been extracting all the pace out of it to trump the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso for podiums. And as per Dutch racer Giedo van der Garde, the Briton will eventually get right up to Verstappen’s level.

Van der Garde rates Lando Norris “very highly”. “I think he is the one maybe in a few years to become very, very close to Max Verstappen,” the former Sauber said on the latest episode of the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

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Whether Norris comes close to Verstappen, only time will tell. What do you think of this potential ‘Superteam’ in case the transfer does happen in the future?