Formula 1 is not only on the eve of the Miami GP, but also on the first race weekend after the introduction of the F1 rule changes. One of the FIA’s regulatory adjustments concerns race starts. The governing body is implementing a mechanism that gives teams that don’t get away well a small boost. However, FIA chief Nikolas Tombazis immediately warns: ‘If we see that teams start using it to gain an advantage, we will, of course, intervene’.
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The introduction of the new power units in 2026 – which consist of fifty percent internal combustion engine and fifty percent electric energy – also brought concerns about race starts. Since the test days, it has become clear that some drivers cannot get off the starting line well immediately. Liam Lawson was almost hit from behind by Franco Colapinto during the Australian GP because of this. The New Zealander’s car was slower to get going at the start.
As part of the rule changes that apply from the Miami GP, a new detection system for underpowered starts is also being introduced. This system can identify cars that show abnormally low acceleration shortly after releasing the clutch. Should this happen, the MGU-K will be automatically activated. This guarantees a minimum acceleration level and limits the risks of collisions. The FIA is still testing the detection system in Miami before the governing body truly implements it during the Canadian GP.
FIA chief Nikolas Tombazis, however, warns that teams face a penalty if they try to use this mechanism to their advantage. “We have made it clear that this should not primarily be a mechanism that would tempt people, let’s say, to even deliberately (start badly, ed.). And then to benefit from it,” Tombazis said during a recent media session. “What this mechanism will do is turn a disastrous start into a bad start. It will not turn a bad start into a good one.”
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‘Discouraging silly games’
According to the FIA chief, there has already been discussion about how to discourage teams from gaining an advantage from the mechanism. “We already suggested that if this mechanism were to activate for a car, teams would have to perform a drive-through at the end of the first lap,” Tombazis continues. “The general position of all teams, to completely discourage silly games, was that in that scenario (the car not getting away at the start, ed.) they are already in a bad position. Therefore, that would not be necessary, and we have accepted that.”
Nevertheless, Tombazis immediately warns: “But if we see that, for whatever reason, we have overlooked something and people start using it to gain an advantage, then we will, of course, intervene. But we don’t think that’s the case. Basically, the mechanism measures how well the cars accelerate shortly after the start. If that falls below a certain threshold, it activates.”
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