Former F1 driver Martin Brundle believes Lando Norris has become mentally stronger as a competitor, pointing to his reaction to a recent gibe from Max Verstappen.
Verstappen recently claimed he would have won the F1 championship several races ago if he were a McLaren driver.
Norris currently holds a 22-point lead over team-mate Oscar Piastri, while Verstappen is 25 points adrift with two grands prix remaining.
Verstappen also highlighted he would tell McLaren to “fuck off” if he were in Piastri's shoes and McLaren opted to implement team orders to assist Norris' title pursuit.
Brundle stated that Verstappen's comments are an obvious attempt at playing mind games.
"One of the biggest challenges Max has got in this year's world championship is that it's two against one, isn't it — it's the two McLaren drivers,” Brundle told Sky F1.
"And he's obviously trying to destabilise them and say openly, 'Oscar Piastri should never accept - or words to that effect - handing any points to Lando to help him in the world championship.
"Of course, Max is going to say that.”
Norris responded to Verstappen's McLaren title claim by stating there are ”things he doesn't have much of a clue about” as he criticised the “Red Bull way of going about things".
Brundle believes it shows that Norris is in a stronger frame of mind compared to the past.
"I don't think anybody in this paddock would have a credible argument against Max Verstappen being the best driver on the grid at the moment, but not by much,” he said.
"And I think what Max said is best left for other people to say about you, if I'm honest, and I also remember the likes of Alonso and Hamilton and the gang, when Max had a totally dominant Red Bull, saying. 'We could win in that car as well.'
"So that's all just: 'I'll knock him down in the fifth [round]' sort of banter, isn't it, really, but I think it's quite clear that Lando, in particular, has moved on.
"He's stronger in the head, and that sort of thing. He just bats it away now."
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