Focus on the first round
After taking pole position at Zandvoort, the face of Landon Norris was rather tense, not inclined to smiles or celebrations. The English driver was already in race mode, ultra-focused on the start of the following day. In fact, during the summer break, analyses on his recent difficulty at the start, with unequivocal numbers: in the five times he started from pole (between Sprint and GP), he never finished the first lap in the lead. Then, widening the sample examined, in the whole of 2024 he never gained a position at the start, maintaining it on 10 occasions and losing ground on another 7.
Marko hopes
In light of these uncertain numbers, Helmut Marko Red Bull wanted to increase the pressure on Norris: “If we look at the statistics, Lando isn’t exactly the strongest to start with. We have a hope. Overtaking is difficult, almost impossible, but I think we are still in the race. We will also have to take the temperatures into account”The Austrian consultant is therefore confident in a possible victory for Max Verstappen.
…Horner less
The Red Bull team principal was more cautious after qualifying, Christian Horner: “The McLarens start from the clean side of the grid and the first corner is close. We can’t rely only on the start. It’s an opportunity, but we’ll have to have the rhythm, think about degradation and strategy. It’s not just about the start, although it would be nice to get a good start.”
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