Has Norris overcome his starting crisis?

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lando Norris’ successful start from pole position at the Singapore Grand Prix appears to have removed his first lap curse, although McLaren team boss Andrea Stella says that after analysis there is no clear problem with Norris either ‘ Last startup errors were there. In Singapore, the Brit was able to convert a pole position into a lead after lap one for the first time in his Formula 1 career.

“I don’t deny that the starts and the general approach to the first corner of the first lap could have been an opportunity for improvement for Lando,” explains Stella. “But after doing a little analysis as a group, including Lando, we went through every single start and every single first lap throughout the season.”

“And to be fair, we found that even in the cases where Lando started from pole position and wasn’t in first place at the end of the first lap, he didn’t do much wrong in terms of his performance.”

Places won in round 1: Norris remains last

It seems that Norris spins the tires too quickly a few times in the acceleration phase, which costs time in the second phase. The data speaks for itself: After 18 Grands Prix and three sprint races in 2024, Norris has lost 26 places at the start, more than any other driver.

In Baku, from 15th on the grid, he managed to win at least one place on the first lap for the first time this season, after none of his pole positions had given him a lead after lap one. The 24-year-old was able to end this horror series in Singapore, but extrapolated that Norris will have lost around 30 World Championship points in 2024 due to bad starts alone.

Stella: Wouldn’t it have been possible to do so much more?

“We looked at Barcelona and were of the opinion that Russell would have been in P1 even if Lando had tried something different,” says Stella, describing the incident in Spain, where Norris fell from first place on the grid to third and subsequently Max Verstappen had to admit defeat, even though the McLaren was the faster car. “There were some options in terms of the execution of the launch, but we recognize that was also on the team’s part.”

“I think at Zandvoort, for example, both cars had cold tires because the team had a problem and both cars didn’t get a good start. I think at first glance it looked like Lando missed a chance there. In fact.” “The facts weren’t so clear.”

However, the facts were relatively clear compared to his teammate Oscar Piastri. The Australian was able to gain a total of six positions at the start in 2024, while Norris lost 26 places. The argument that Norris has less to gain from better starting positions no longer applies when you look at Max Verstappen’s starting performance.

Stella: Now a certain routine will return

No one has been on pole position more often than the Dutchman in 2024, but Verstappen has already gained nine places in round one this season, putting him in fourth place among all drivers. The leader is Haas driver Kevin Magnussen with 34 positions gained. It is also noteworthy that the Red Bull driver did not lose a position in a single race or sprint race on lap one.

Stella adds that McLaren has certainly accelerated its efforts to improve starts and that a successful start in Singapore will give Norris familiarity should he achieve further pole positions this year: “We have definitely focused on the execution of the start “Concentrated” and the preparation of the tires, including Lando himself.”

“Even the time we spend preparing for launch during a weekend is now more focused. You gain trust. And you become comfortable with starting from pole position and understanding what you have to do, including in terms of defense, to keep people from [die Führung] to take over. I think that’s part of the journey, and it’s good that we have to deal with this kind of opportunity now.