So far in 2024, Lando Norris has had a memorable season, taking his first Formula 1 win and putting his team in the race for the Constructors’ Championship. But his team has reason to be concerned. It’s the start of the race.
Along with his wins at Miami and the Dutch GP, Norris has suffered a series of 'what ifs', many of which have been attributed to his poor starts, particularly from pole position.
He lost the Chinese sprint to Lewis Hamilton, the Spanish GP to Max Verstappen and George Russell, the Hungarian GP to Oscar Piastri and most recently at Zandvoort, where Verstappen once again won, but despite his recovery he lost the title once again.
Norris, who sits 70 points behind Verstappen in the championship ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, has been working on improving his weaknesses, including his starts, during F1's summer break and says Zandvoort is his chance to prove his efforts have paid off.
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See how Lando Norris, who gave up the lead at the start of the Dutch Grand Prix, comfortably beat Max Verstappen to claim his second F1 win.
However, his future start will still be in doubt after he was easily outclassed by Verstappen at the start line. Sky Sports F1Anthony Davidson believes this is a “chink in McLaren's armour”.
“Obviously different teams have different starts,” Davidson said.
“When I got on board with Lando, he seemed to have the throttle position right (at Zandvoort). The initial launch, the initial exit seemed okay, so that means the driver procedure was okay for those two factors.
“But when he changed into second gear and started applying more throttle, it seemed wrong and at that point of course he let the clutch out completely. So somewhere in that area I think McLaren and Lando kept going wrong.
“But in that particular game, I would say, we had a slightly better start than Piastri.
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Anthony Davidson analyses why Lando Norris had a slow start to the Dutch Grand Prix on SkyPad.
“I think the conditions in that race were so varied and there wasn't enough time to figure out how to handle all the software in the background that it was difficult for the teams to get a perfect start.
“But all that aside, it looks like McLaren have a few chinks in their armour and if they are to battle the likes of Red Bull for the championship by the end of the year, they need to get as much of it perfect as possible.
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Red Bull's Max Verstappen held off Lando Norris to maintain the lead at the start of the sprint.
“They've got great pit stops, they've got high speed, they've got high reliability, they've got two great drivers, they've got a car that ticks all the boxes.
“The beginning is something that keeps raising eyebrows not only for us to watch but also for the team. And if they can do that right, you're going to be solid.
“It's an incredible feat for the team to keep qualifying and beat Max Verstappen at Red Bull. We can't keep throwing that away.”
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Anthony Davidson explains why Lando Norris wasn't penalised for jump start at Saudi Arabian GP
Davidson: The fight is between McLaren and Red Bull
With nine races remaining in the season's Constructors' Championship, McLaren sit just 30 points behind Red Bull.
Verstappen is winless in the last five races of 2024 and with teams like Mercedes performing well at certain circuits, the season is uncertain, with McLaren the most likely to win the Constructors' Championship.
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Lando Norris wins Dutch GP, more than 20 seconds ahead of second-placed Max Verstappen
“I absolutely agree that McLaren have the best car at the moment, that’s clear,” Davidson added.
“And of course, it will ebb and flow at different circuits. Who knows, Ferrari could be the fastest car at Singapore and a circuit like that, or it could be Mexico.
“This win is interesting because it's not just Red Bull winning the title again, as they have done over the past few seasons.
“And sometimes it's not just one team that can challenge them. As you saw at Silverstone, Mercedes dominated the race and you saw how fast they were at Spa.
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Christian Hewgill, host of the 'Fast and the Curious' and 'F1 Explains' podcasts, believes McLaren will win the Constructors' Championship this season, despite Red Bull currently leading.
“I'm really excited. I've never seen a season in F1 with so many different cars performing so well.
“The McLaren looks the most docile. You can take it anywhere. It'll always be there or close to it. But it's not one of those shiny Spa cars you see in Budapest or Zandvoort.
“What I love about this season is that it's so uncertain.
“There's a big fight going on between McLaren and Red Bull now. Red Bull are clearly not in the same position as they were last year. And there are still circuits like Singapore that they struggled with last year with their superior car.
“So, wow, I can't even imagine how this season is going to unfold.”
Italian GP live schedule on Sky Sports F1
Thursday, August 29th
2 p.m.: Driver press conference
Friday, August 30th
8:30 AM: F3 Practice
9:55 AM: F2 Practice
12:00 PM: Italian GP Practice 1 (Session starts at 12:30 AM)
1:55 p.m.: F3 qualifying
2:50pm: F2 Qualifying
3:45pm: Italian GP Practice 2 (Session starts at 4pm)
5:15pm: F1 Show
Saturday, August 31st
8:25am: F3 Sprint
11:15am: Italian GP Practice 3 (session starts at 11:30am)
1:10pm: F2 Sprint
2:15pm: Italian GP qualifying preparation
3pm: Italian GP Qualifying*
5pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Sunday September 1st
7:30am: F3 Feature Race
9am: F2 Feature Race
11am: Porsche Supercup
12:30 p.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: Italian GP Preparation
2pm: Italian Grand Prix
4pm: Checked Flag: Italian GP Reaction
5pm: Ted's Laptop
*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event
The 2024 Formula 1 season continues this weekend with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. No contract, cancel anytime
