Getting a good start can be the difference between winning and losing a race in modern F1, considering how important it is to have clean air.
The phrase ‘clean air is king’ is often used by F1 drivers to describe how important it is to be leading a race, because being behind another car can severely impact tyre life in a stint.
This means getting a good start, whether it’s from pole or the second row, can be key to victory. Max Verstappen’s Imola start was a masterclass in how to do it, pulling off a stunning move around the outside of Tamburello to effectively win the race.
After qualifying on the first row of the grid for the Spanish Grand Prix, journalist Adam Cooper spotted one thing Lando Norris had done to help avoid getting a jump start penalty.
Lando Norris uses silver tape to help line his car up on the start line
Starts have been a weakness for Norris at some recent races, with the Briton having conceded positions a few times in 2024 with bad getaways off the line.
A technical glitch cost him in Hungary, while Norris admitted that starts are the ‘number one’ thing he wanted to improve.
On the grid in Spain, Norris asked his engineers to give him a reference point for his car, which was spotted by Cooper while walking on the grid.
“It’s all in the details! Lando Norris directing his guys as they align a piece of silver tape on the Barcelona pit wall with his front wheels in order to avoid a false start,” wrote Cooper.
The benefit of having a good start in Spanish Grand Prix
One of the benefits of getting a good start at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya was getting a better run down to the first corner.
Looking at the starts made by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in a social media post by F1, the latter was two-tenths quicker when reacting off the line than Hamilton.
| Hamilton | Leclerc |
| 0.52s | 0.32s |
Leclerc overtook Andrea Kimi Antonelli and subsequently put himself in a position to overtake Hamilton later in the early stages of the race.
Ferrari instructing Hamilton to move over for Leclerc turned his Spanish GP into a ‘horrible’ race, according to Nico Rosberg, after the Briton went on to finish sixth behind Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.
