How Norris can arrest his current F1 first-lap problems

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.

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…