Formula 1
How Norris can arrest his current F1 first-lap problems
A notable series of first-lap issues has cost Lando Norris position at the start of races, and even further Formula 1 victories this year. The McLaren driver is hoping for a summer break reset
Jake Boxall-Legge
Published: Aug 2, 2024, 12:10 PM
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, go three wide into the first corner
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
For all the impressive moments in Lando Norris' 2024 Formula 1 season, his approach to starts has been a significant Achilles' heel this season - and has lost him at least two race wins into the first corner.
There have been a handful of notable moments in which Norris made inauspicious choices into Turn 1 this year, including his getaways from pole position at the Spanish and Hungarian Grands Prix.
At Barcelona, Norris attempted to wrong-foot Max Verstappen into the opening corner, but was outfoxed by a fast-starting George Russell who moved around the outside of the two. In Hungary, Piastri got the better of Norris and held the inside line of the corner, which granted the Australian the early command over the race.
Norris has added another first-lap complication to his record, after drifting wide on the exit of La Source. He brushed the gravel, which cost him momentum heading up the hill to the Kemmel Straight and thrust him down to seventh.
And let's not forget the sprint race in China, where Norris was outdragged off the line by Hamilton to ensure he could not cover the inside - and ultimately ran out of road into the long right-hander that opens the Shanghai lap.
It's not necessarily car position that has done for Norris in these instances, but rather the slower-than-ideal starts that restrict what he can do. In the cases of Spain, Hungary, and China, Norris entered the first corner with much less momentum relative to the car flanking him into the braking zone, and thus he did not have the latitude of track available to defend with.
Race start - Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15 battle for the lead
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
And thus, it forces a different approach from Norris, as he tends to retreat into a phase of tyre-saving to pick up his assault later. It's not a bad approach, but it's certainly an easier pursuit when leading a grand prix. The back-off-and-save strategy worked out in Miami, a race where he also lost a position on the first lap, but one cannot bank on the luck of a fortuitously timed safety car all the time...
"I've given away a lot of points over the last three, four races just because of stupid stuff, mistakes and bad starts - Turn 1 now," Norris reflected after the Belgian Grand Prix. "I think I just need to reset. The last two, three races I've just not clicked as much as I needed to and given up a lot of points, so hopefully I can come back strong.”
Of course, there's going to be a psychological barrier to overcome. It all feeds into a self-fulfilling feedback loop, where instances of the same mistakes start to give rise to the internal narrative of: "I make this mistake, therefore I'm probably going to make it again".
It sounds overly reductive to boil Norris' starting issues down to the stance of 'it's easy, just don't make the same error', but that's ultimately the end goal here. And, when the West Country native gets a clean getaway, it'll eventually fall into place at the starts. But the process of breaking through that psychological barrier isn't simple.
He can count on the support of his McLaren team, and drivers these days are usually armed with psychological coaches who can impart valuable advice to assist. It takes a lot of mental strength to retrain your brain into thinking differently, but that's one part of the process.
"We work with Lando, like we work with Oscar, to try and see all the opportunities in which we can improve individually, but also collaborate better," said team principal Andrea Stella. "It definitely gives us some elements to analyse as to how some of these missed opportunities manifest themselves.
"For Lando, for instance, it looks like there are statistically some opportunities that tend to happen in the early stages of the race, so we need to check whether this is early stages of the race for a reason, or it's just random. Like any other athlete or driver, Lando - with the support of the team - will think: 'What can I do better to make sure we capitalise on the good work we are doing?'"
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-23, the rest of the field at the start
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
And, last year, Norris demonstrated that he can start well and make up ground: remember his opening moves at the British Grand Prix to take the lead? There was also his sweep around Oscar Piastri to move up to second at Suzuka in 2023, and another shuffle up to the lead at the US Grand Prix over polesitter Charles Leclerc.
It's in his repertoire, then, but it's also true that he hasn't made up a single position off the line this year: Norris either retains position, or loses one or several places.
And, if he has aspirations of winning a championship, that's going to become a problem if it doesn't turn around. He and McLaren will need to find a way of improving the situation, whether it's a mental roadblock to overcome, or if the settings on the car can be played with to make it a little easier to get up to speed.
Perhaps the summer break comes at the right time, then; after all, there's not much time to sit down and reset when there's five races in the span of six weeks. If Norris comes back from the break and makes a good start to Zandvoort, then the confidence will start to flow - if not, McLaren might need to find a way to stop its title outsider from spiralling.
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