Statistics demonstrate who is the best starter on the grid and how much it has harmed Lando Norris’s title hopes. Max Verstappen is one of just two drivers who hasn’t lost a spot on Lap 1 of the F1 2024 season, while Lewis Hamilton has gained the most overall.
The Red Bull star, who began first ten times, has impressively held his position at the very least. That’s in spite of the fact that 19 drivers are trying to overtake him for the lead. Even more astounding is the fact that, out of the seven times he didn’t start on pole, he was able to finish in the top four four times (57%).
Verstappen’s former rival Hamilton, who has jumped his teammates a net nine times despite dropping positions on the opening circuits of the 2024 Chinese and Spanish GPs, is the biggest winner when the lights go out.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull, the winner of the Mexico City GP 2023, and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, who finished second, are pictured on the podium.
That even enabled him to win his most recent Formula One race, Victory 105, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, where he passed Sergio Perez and took the lead a few laps later. Hamilton has held or gained in 15 of the 17 Sprint and Grand Prix races (88%) demonstrating that, despite being 39 years old, his reactions haven’t changed.
The only other driver to have gained a net six positions without ever falling back down the grid is Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who is the second driver behind Verstappen who hasn’t lost a spot in Formula One 2024.
The Australian retained his ground and moved up to fourth in the Formula One standings, gaining positions in the Miami GP Sprint Race, the Austrian GP Sprint Race, the Hungarian GP, and the Belgian GP—usually at the expense of his teammate.
The 2024 Spanish Grand Prix has seen four net place losses for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, six net place losses for Red Bull’s Perez, and one net place loss for George Russell despite his move from fourth to first on lap one.
Amazing lap one form by Lando Norris in Formula One 2024
Lando Norris of McLaren is the biggest loser among the top four teams on Lap 1 of Formula One 2024. His season has been severely harmed, as seen by his net gain/loss standing at an astounding -26 places after 17 Grand Prix and Sprint Races.
While Norris lost eleven positions in the 2024 Miami Grand Prix Sprint Race and six places in the 2024 Chinese GP Sprint Race while battling Hamilton for the lead, those races account for the majority of Norris’ starting lap positions.
The 24-year-old star’s disadvantage, which is still -9 even in the absence of those two events, is far worse than that of any other driver from Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, or Mercedes, underscoring his apparent weakness at the race start as compared to his title competitors.
At the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix, Lando Norris is in action | McLaren
At the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2024, Lando Norris in action | McLaren Norris has lost valuable championship points due to unforced errors in seven of the 17 Sprint and GP races in Formula One 2024 (41%) and has made crucial mistakes at the Spanish GP (pole to third), the British GP (dropped behind Verstappen), the Hungarian GP (pole to third), and the Belgian GP (fourth to seventh).
Even more concerning is the fact that, despite only starting from the lead three times this season, Norris has failed to advance on Lap 1 of any event. He is the only driver not to have done so out of the top four teams.
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