Lando Norris' flawless launch and opening lap in last weekend's Singapore GP was a welcomed departure from his previous starts from pole position, although team boss Andrea Stella admits that it was never clear why the Briton was slow off the line in the past.
In Spain, Hungary and in the Netherlands, Norris lined up on pole only to lose his advantage at the first corner.
In the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he held his own at the head of the field into the first chicane but was elbowed out of the lead by his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri further down the road at the Variante della Rogge chicane.
However, at the Singapore Grand Prix, Norris broke his curse as he managed to convert pole into a commanding early lead, one that he maintained throughout the entire race.
Stella believes that while last weekend's successful start will boost Norris' confidence, there has never been a clear underlying issue to explain his previous botched takeoffs despite McLaren conducting a thorough analysis of each race to understand what might have gone wrong.
“Having done a little bit of analysis as a group including Lando, we have gone through the season every single start and every single first lap,” Stella explained, quoted by Motorsport.com.
"And in fairness, we haven't found that even in cases in which Lando started in pole position and he was not P1 at the end of first lap, he had kind of given up very much in terms of performance.
"We reviewed Barcelona, and we thought that Russell would have been P1 even with Lando trying something different. There were some opportunities in terms of execution of the start, but we recognized that that was also on the team side.
"For instance, I think it was Zandvoort, the one in which both cars had cold tires because of an issue from a team point of view, and both cars didn't have a great start.
"So, I think while at first value, it looked like Lando had a significant opportunity there. Actually, the facts weren't so clear."
Despite these challenges earlier in the season, McLaren has intensified its focus on improving starts, and the Singapore performance suggests that their efforts are paying off.
According to Stella, Norris is becoming more comfortable with the dynamics of leading from the front, particularly in terms of defending his position from other drivers.
"Definitely we have been focusing on the execution of the start and preparation of the tires, Lando himself, even the time we focus on start preparation during a weekend, is now more concentrated," the Italian explained.
"You gain confidence. And you gain familiarity with starting from pole position, and understanding, even in terms of territorial defense, what you need to do, even to dissuade people for going [for the lead].
"So, I think this is part of the journey, and it's just good that we are now having to face this kind of opportunity."
As McLaren continues to improve its car and procedures, Norris' pole position start in Singapore was perhaps a turning point, helping him solidify his role as a front-runner and enhancing his ability to fend off challengers in future races.
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