Red Bull's Max Verstappen admits his lousy race starts have become a random occurrence in 2019, insisting the problem is rooted mainly in the characteristics of his Honda engine.
Excessive wheelspin led to Vertappen's tardy launch at Spa, which in turn set the Dutchman up for a collision with Alfa's Kimi Raikkonen at La Source and his subsequent demise at Eau Rouge.
Bogged down starts and wheelspin have happened frequently this season for the Red Bull charger, although in each case he followed the prescribed modus operandi.
"We have a certain procedure which needs to be as steady as possible," explained Verstappen on Ziggo Sport's Monday Peptalk show.
"I have been doing that for four years now at Red Bull, but we are struggling this year to keep the wheel spin steady.
"There is even a difference with every engine. So it’s always a mystery if it will be okay or not.
"This year it’s gone wrong quite a few times, so we very well know what we need to work on. At this moment, we haven’t been able to keep it steady yet."
Verstappen says Red Bull and Honda are working to solve an underlying issue more dependent on the power unit itself than the actual procedure.
"Looking at the entire season, we were the second best team regarding the starts last year," he added.
"The year before that also, so I really don’t think that we are suddenly unable to do a good start. The procedure with the clutch is the same. We are talking millimeters here, it’s that precise.
"But apart from that, it’s still always unknown how the engine will handle your input. Sometimes there can be a delay or vice versa.
"How aggressively the clutch is set can also be controlled by the team. I just need to focus on following the same procedure every time, but you are also dependent on things that are also involved with it."
Verstappen believes it will take some time for Honda to iron out the start procedure inconsistencies.
"You can try out a lot during testing and Honda is currently busy with that," he said.
"They can see things that need to be improved, but it takes time. That is because it has to do with some characteristics of the engine."
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Oscar Piastri has confirmed that McLaren’s team orders—dubbed the "Papaya Rules"—have been largely relaxed, giving…
The forever young Jacques Laffite turns 81 today, but the years haven't aged this pure…
The neon lights of Las Vegas are set to illuminate the Formula 1 world once…
Yuki Tsunoda kicked off his Las Vegas Grand Prix race week with a rather interesting…
Lewis Hamilton has dismissed suggestions that recent comments from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff have soured…
Lando Norris admitted that the aftermath of his crushing defeat in Brazil at the hands…