Only one F1 driver is making worse starts than Norris in 2024 · RaceFans

Lando Norris had to wait 110 races for his first Formula 1 win, but his second came just nine rounds later.

What’s more, this was an emphatic triumph, in which he also set the pole position and fastest lap. He is the 48th driver in F1 history to achieve this hat-trick and sixth driver on the grid today, joining Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Charles Leclerc.

Given how rapid the McLaren was, had Norris kept his lead at the start he would have had a strong chance of leading every lap and therefore taking his first ‘grand slam’. However Norris lost his lead at the start again, which is an unfortunate habit of his.

As has been widely noted, from Norris’ six starts at the front in F1 so far (four grands prix, two sprint races) he has never kept the lead yet. Nor have his starts from further back on the grid been particularly strong.

Start, Zandvoort, 2024 — Norris gave the lead away again at Zandvoort

Indeed, only one driver on the grid has made consistently worse starts than Norris over the 15 grands prix so far this season: Daniel Ricciardo. He is the only driver besides Norris who has started every race this year and never gained a position on the first lap.

Even drivers like Charles Leclerc and Nico Hulkenberg, who suffered double-digit position losses at some races this year, have better average starts than Norris and Ricciardo.

Inevitably, drivers who usually start in the mid-to-rear of the pack have the most to gain at starts. However it’s noteworthy that, despite having more pole positions than anyone so far this year, Verstappen has never ended the first lap in a lower position than he started. And while McLaren may have room to improve their car’s starting performance, Oscar Piastri’s starts are, on average, considerably better than his team mate’s:

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Despite this, Norris left Zandvoort with much to be cheerful about. He is the 80th driver in the history of the world championship to become a multiple race winner; his fourth pole position gives him as many as Mike Hawthorn, Didier Pironi, Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella; and his eighth fastest lap matches the tallies of James Hunt, Gilles Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher, Jenson Button and rival George Russell.

Norris is only the second driver this year to lead more than 100 laps in total. Verstappen reached that milestone on the 105th lap of the season.

The reigning world champion made his 200th grand prix start on Sunday. Over his first 100 starts Verstappen won seven races, but his second century saw an astonishing 54 victories.

| Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

He is the 23rd member of the ‘200 club’. Surprisingly, given the success he enjoyed over his last 100 starts, he did not join the five drivers who won their 200th grand prix. They are Sebastian Vettel (2018 Bahrain Grand Prix), Hamilton (2017 Belgian Grand Prix), Nico Rosberg (2016 Singapore Grand Prix), Jenson Button (2011 Hungarian Grand Prix) and Michael Schumacher (2004 European Grand Prix).

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Zandvoort, 2024 — Verstappen is the 23rd driver to reach 200 starts

This was the first time Verstappen has failed to take pole position and win at home. Norris gave McLaren their fourth win in the Dutch Grand Prix, all of which were scored by different drivers: Hunt, Alain Prost and Niki Lauda took the rest.

Carlos Sainz Jnr, meanwhile, reached his 200th participation in a grand prix event. He is three short of Verstappen’s tally of starts despite the pair making their race debuts together. Curiously, this discrepancy came about despite Sainz having never been entered as a ‘practice driver’ as Verstappen was. There were three races where Sainz practiced but did not start: Belgium 2020 and Qatar 2023 (pre-race technical failures) and Saudi Arabia 2024 (illness).

For the fourth time this year all 20 drivers were classified at the finish. This also happened at Bahrain, Spain and Austria, though in the latter race Norris was no longer running.

Finally, Logan Sargeant has been dropped by Williams before the season ended. This also happened to the three American drivers who preceded him in F1: Alexander Rossi (2015 Brazilian Grand Prix), Scott Speed (2007 European Grand Prix) and Michael Andretti (1993 Italian Grand Prix).