McLaren team principal Andrea Stella stated that there is no clear issue following the analysis of Lando Norris’s starts, where he lost the lead.
Norris lost the lead from pole position in the Spanish, Hungarian, and Dutch Grands Prix and also failed to secure the first corner in the China sprint race. However, in the Italian Grand Prix, despite maintaining the lead at the first corner, he was overtaken by his teammate Oscar Piastri at the fourth corner. Nonetheless, Norris converted his pole position into a victory in Singapore.
Stella believes this situation will boost Norris’s confidence, but he emphasized that the team’s review found no evident problems with the driver’s starts.
Stella said, “After conducting some analysis with a group that included Lando, we reviewed each start and the first lap throughout the season. We found no clear issues, even in cases where Lando started from pole position and was in leading positions by the end of the first lap.”
“We Reviewed Barcelona and Think Russell Would Lead Even If Lando Tried Something Different”
“We reviewed Barcelona and believe that even if Lando tried something different, Russell would still be in the lead. There were some problems with the execution of the start, but we acknowledge that this was also on the team side,” said Stella.
“For instance, I think it was Zandvoort where both cars had cold tires due to an issue from the team’s side, and neither car had a great start.”
Stella added that despite everything, the team is accelerating its efforts to improve starts, and that Norris’s successful start in Singapore would give him familiarity if he secures more pole positions this year.
“We are definitely focusing on the execution of the start and the preparation of the tires. I think Lando is now in a more concentrated state.”
“This way, you become accustomed to starting from pole position and start gaining confidence. You understand what you need to do defensively.”
“I think this is part of the journey, and it’s great that we have to face such opportunities right now.”
