Lando Norris F1 News: McLaren chief reveals team investigating key issue

Lando Norris, McLaren, Hungary, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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McLaren chief admits team investigating Norris ISSUE

A key issue has been plaguing the McLaren star

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Monday 5 August 2024 09:58 Updated: 21:06

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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has admitted the team will dig deep into an issue that has consistently been plaguing star driver Lando Norris.

Norris has achieved three pole positions in his Formula 1 career to date, one in Russia in 2021, and the other two in 2024 in Spain and Hungary respectively.

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The McLaren star also took sprint pole at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2023 and in China earlier this season. However, he has failed to convert any of these starts at the front into a victory.

Furthermore, a very worrying trend has emerged, with the McLaren star always losing the lead into the first corner.

This was the case in all the above instances, and the issue reared its head again at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out.

Lando Norris has struggled when starting races in P1

Oscar Piastri benefitted from Norris' poor start in Hungary

McLaren to investigate Lando Norris issue

Although not starting on pole, Norris' race at Spa was essentially ruined by another poor first few corners, with the McLaren driver going from fourth to seventh having dipped his wheels in the gravel out of the exit of turn 1 at the famous circuit.

With F1's summer break now upon us, it feels like the perfect time for reflection, and McLaren team boss Stella has admitted the team will investigate the issue to see if it is something their driver is genuinely doing wrong, or merely coincidental.

“These kinds of situations, they’re always very marginal. I think Lando got a little distracted from what was happening on the inside and ran out of track," Stella said on Norris' Belgian GP start.

“It’s marginal things like this, I think, require little adjustments here and there.

“Certainly, we work with Lando, like we work with Oscar [Piastri], to try and see all the opportunities in which we can improve individually, but also collaborate better, to either be more prepared or to use better our abilities and talents.

Andrea Stella confirms McLaren investigate Lando Norris' starts

“I think it doesn’t necessarily change our attitude, but definitely gives us some elements to analyse as to how some of these missed opportunities manifest themselves.

“Like for Lando, for instance, he 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 for a reason or just random.

“But like any other athlete or any other driver, I think Lando himself will talk to the team, we like to think ‘What can I do better?’ To make sure we capitalise on the good work we are doing.

“I think he was in a good starting position still, but then once we lost the position at the start with this low deg and difficult overtaking, we definitely made our life difficult.”

Norris will hope to improve his fortunes in this area regardless of the result of McLaren's findings, with the Brit second to Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings.

McLaren are also second to Red Bull in the constructors' standings, with a very realistic chance of the Milton Keynes-based outfit being toppled.