Max Verstappen's primary threat for winning the 2023 F1 US GP identified by Helmut Marko

Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko believes the biggest threat to Max Verstappen in the 2023 F1 US GP main race would be McLaren's Lando Norris.

The Briton started the sprint race from P4 and ended in the same position but the result does not tell the full picture. He was overtaken by a fast-starting Carlos Sainz at the beginning of the race but was able to eventually get back past him after his tire advantage went away.

He then took over a five-second advantage in the last four laps from Charles Leclerc, who was ahead of him in third. He showcased a great race pace that would make him a force to reckon with in the main race on Sunday.

Speaking with Sky Germany, Marko pointed out Norris, who is starting from P2, could be the biggest threat to Max Verstappen. He said:

"Norris had a good pace, so I think he will be our biggest rival tomorrow."

In his post-Sprint interview, Lando Norris also looked buoyed by his chances for the main race and added:

"That was a good race, despite the tough beginning. With Carlos starting on Softs it took a few laps to get past him, but when I did, the pace looked very, very strong. A lot better than the Ferrari. One lap more and we would have had Charles and P3. There’s a lot of positive signs for tomorrow. A good day, and good preparation for tomorrow’s Grand Prix."

Max Verstappen previews his chances for a race win on Sunday

Starting from P6, Max Verstappen doesn't think the position is ideal for him. But he is hoping that the strong pace from the sprint race will once again translate on higher fuel loads and help make progress on the grid.

In his post-Sprint press conference, Max Verstappen previewed:

"Yeah, I mean, of course, it's not ideal to start P6. But the pace of the car seems quite strong, and hopefully on higher fuel loads tomorrow, we can do something similar. But you know, it's one thing to be faster, but we have also to try and get by a few cars this time.

"So with the deg around here that's not going to be straightforward, trying to follow also through the high speed, but yeah, we have a race on our hands, I think."

It will be fascinating to see if the likes of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc can prove any challenge for Verstappen and stop him from claiming yet another race win this season.