While Lando Norris recovered from a poor getaway to win Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix, McLaren is under no illusions that it needs to get on top of its starts.
Even at Zandvoort, a similarly bad launch for Oscar Piastri dropped him behind George Russell and into the dirty air that would eventually rob him of a podium chance – and an opportunity to get in front of Max Verstappen.
As McLaren boss Andrea Stella said: “With Oscar, if we had not lost the position, I think it would be a different race.
“He had the pace to beat Max. So it’s a significant missed opportunity, I would say.”
He added: “There’s a wider theme around the performance of the launches, and this is certainly a priority for the future at McLaren.”
The start troubles in the Dutch GP come in the wake of a run of issues that Norris in particular has faced this season – which have proved costly in the fight for wins against Red Bull and Verstappen.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Norris made a good initial getaway from pole position but a touch of wheelspin in what is known as the second phase of acceleration was just enough to help Verstappen get alongside on the inside.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20 Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, the rest of the field at the race start
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, it was almost an identical scenario with Piastri alongside him. Norris made a good initial launch but again, in the second phase, lost momentum and that allowed his team-mate to get inside him at Turn 1.
The hat-trick of poor starts from pole was completed in Zandvoort when both Norris and Piastri lost out with wheelspin to allow other cars to get ahead of them.
While the run of form has led many to point fingers that it is all down to Norris being unable to get his starts sorted, McLaren’s double whammy at Zandvoort has perhaps served to highlight how teams have just as big a role to play in maximising getaways – because there are a lot of complex technical factors at play.
In the hands of drivers, but teams have a key role to play
The days of drivers having what was in effect a launch control system – where they just released the clutch and electronics took over everything else to control wheelspin – have long gone.
The FIA has made several moves over the past decade to ensure there is a greater driver influence over starts, rather than engineers being…
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