Lando Norris Pinpoints ‘Underlying Issue’ for McLaren’s Start Woes Despite Dutch GP Triumph

Lando Norris proposes a three-word solution to address McLaren's poor launches

Lando Norris has shed light on his sluggish beginning at the Dutch Grand Prix and his theories on the persistent problem.

Lando Norris has hinted at a possible fundamental problem behind McLaren's disappointing beginnings, following another occurrence at the F1 Dutch Grand Prix.

For the sixth straight instance, Norris was unable to maintain his pole position advantage into the first lap, as he was overtaken by Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the brief sprint to Turn 1 at Zandvoort.

This time, unlike in past instances, the incident didn't result in a loss for him. The McLaren racer skillfully regained his position ahead of Verstappen and then went on to secure a remarkable win, finishing 22.9 seconds ahead of the Dutch driver.

When questioned about enhancing his initial race performance, Norris responded: “Avoid wheelspin.”

He further stated, "We understand the necessary steps and what it takes to execute an impeccable start. However, we're dealing with extremely narrow differences."

"Given that neither of us managed to accurately understand the situation, it appears there might have been a deeper problem, or perhaps things were not as they should have been, indicating that we significantly misunderstood some aspects more than others did."

"Oscar is among the top initiators on the track. I don't quite match up to him, but I'm close. I'm decent at starting, but not quite at the level we require."

"Once more, it was a competition that nearly got away from us at the start. Today was yet another day unlike any other we've experienced. It echoes what I mentioned earlier this week, emphasizing our need for greater consistency."

"We've put effort into improving our process, and I believe we've made progress. However, it's clear that it didn't result in the desired outcome."

Norris mentioned he stayed remarkably composed, even after losing the front position at the start.

"After successfully navigating Turn 1 and starting off, I found myself unexpectedly at ease," he shared.

"Perhaps it's because I've grown accustomed to starting off on the back foot. I'm well-equipped to handle such situations. I remained composed, thinking, 'Alright, what's my next move?'"

"That was simply to plan ahead and begin conserving tires while assessing my speed capabilities."

"However, during laps 10 through 13, I found myself gradually catching up to Max once more, reigniting a sense of optimism within me that overtaking him on the track was within the realm of possibility."

"I had a couple of chances. Initially, I wasn't quite in the right position to take advantage of the first one. However, on the following lap, I managed to make it in and from that point, I was able to focus and push forward."

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