Norris has been experiencing a recent string of poor beginnings to races. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has acknowledged that both the team and Lando Norris need to investigate why the British driver is struggling with race starts. This issue was evident once again at the Belgian Grand Prix, where Norris had another lackluster start.
When the lights go out and the Formula 1 cars dash towards the first corner, competing for dominance, that is the moment that matters the most. However, McLaren’s standout performer, Norris, has been grappling during this intense phase of a Grand Prix.
During the race in Barcelona, Norris started from pole position but was overtaken by George Russell on the outside of Turn 1, leaving him stuck in third place for the initial part of the race. This cost him a chance at victory.
In Hungary, Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri beat him to Turn 1 from second on the grid, ultimately determining the winner. And at Spa last weekend, Norris made a significant misjudgment.
Starting from fourth position, Norris found himself on the outside of the La Source hairpin and made an unnecessary move even further to the outside, running over the kerb and getting stuck in the gravel. This dropped him down to seventh place.
This mistake proved to be costly, allowing Max Verstappen to finish ahead of Norris in the championship standings and widen the gap by an additional two points. Norris now trails Verstappen by a margin of 78 points.
Stella, when analyzing Norris’s error on Lap 1 at Turn 1, stated, “Well, first of all, these types of situations are always very delicate. I believe Lando got a bit distracted by what was happening on the inside and ran out of track. It’s a matter of small adjustments here and there.”
“We certainly work with Lando, just like we do with Oscar, to identify opportunities for individual improvement and to enhance our collaboration. This involves being better prepared and making better use of our abilities and talents,” Stella added.
“So, our approach doesn’t necessarily change, but it definitely provides us with some aspects to analyze regarding how these missed opportunities manifest themselves.”
Stella acknowledged that “For Lando, for example, it appears that there are statistically some opportunities that tend to occur in the initial stages of the race.”
The McLaren Team Principal proceeded to state that now it is the responsibility of the Woking-based team and Norris to determine whether there is indeed a pattern emerging with poor race starts, or if it is simply a matter of unfortunate coincidence.
“We need to investigate whether this is a result of the early stages of the race having a purpose or if it is purely random,” he said.
“However, like any other athlete or driver, I believe Lando himself, with the team’s support, will have to contemplate what he can do better in order to capitalize on the positive work we are doing.
“I believe he was still in a favorable starting position, but once we lost the position at the beginning due to the low deck and challenging overtaking, we certainly made things difficult for ourselves.”
Norris and McLaren now have the summer break to “reset,” which the winner of the Miami GP admitted he needed after allowing more crucial championship points to slip away.
“We all require it, but I personally need it to reset,” Norris said.
“I have relinquished a significant number of points over the past three or four races, solely due to foolish errors and poor starts. Now it’s turn one.
“I have squandered a substantial amount of points, so hopefully I can return stronger.”
