Marc Priestley left ‘frustrated’ by one thing Lando Norris did during the Belgian Grand Prix

Follow us on Google Discover

The start of the Belgian Grand Prix is one of the toughest opening set of corners to negotiate and there have been some big incidents in the past.

Murray Walker once commentated on the worst start he’d ever seen in Belgium at the beginning of the 1998 race.

Romain Grosjean apologised to Fernando Alonso after flying over the front of his car going into the opening hairpin during his first F1 season.

However, during the 2024 version of the event, all 20 cars managed to get through the first corner unscathed.

Charles Leclerc led the race from Sergio Perez off the grid, but Lewis Hamilton got the best of the under-pressure Mexican before turn four.

Hamilton then went one better and took the lead of the race much to the surprise of many watching on.

Commenting on the race for BBC Sport, former McLaren mechanic Marc Priestley was keeping a close eye on how everyone fared going through the first few corners.

While no one crashed out, it was a far-from-ideal start for Lando Norris.

Norris had trouble at the beginning of the Hungarian Grand Prix from pole position, losing out to teammate Oscar Piastri and briefly Max Verstappen.

It got even worse for the one-time race winner in Spa when he scuppered his chances of challenging Perez and Leclerc at the front of the pack.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

Marc Priestley laments Lando Norris’s poor start at the Belgian Grand Prix

Norris had a decent getaway off the line but found himself on the outside of the hairpin at turn one.

He kept his foot to the floor but drifted just a little bit too wide and dipped his wheels into the gravel, seeing him lose time at a crucial point in the race.

Commenting on how Norris fared as he started to tumble down the order, Priestley said: “That really poor start for Lando Norris has really cost him. Now he’s tucked back in a pack behind the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz. He has a faster car, and it seems like he is a little bit frustrated.

“He needs to calm himself down – he’s got a car that is really good on tyre management.

“I think he has a car capable of winning this race.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Are race starts becoming an issue for Lando Norris?

Lando Norris was forced to gamble after his difficult start and quickly found himself running directly in front of Max Verstappen.

He made a dive to the inside of turn four to overtake Carlos Sainz on the hard tyres but fail to make the move stick and suddenly found himself under even more pressure.

Verstappen triggered the first round of pit stops among the leaders on medium tyres and Norris was forced to gamble and stay out later than everyone else.

The undercut was powerful enough for everyone in that group to overtake Norris but he was keen to use his fresher tyres to try and close the gap.

Meanwhile, Piastri took full advantage of passing his teammate on the opening lap by overtaking Sergio Perez after the first round of pit stops and putting himself in contention for a podium finish.

It’s not the first time that Norris has struggled on the first lap of a race.

He lost out last time out at the Hungarian Grand Prix and has never led the first lap after starting on pole position, it’s a trend he needs to resolve if he’s going to be a serious title contender.