Formula 1 has trialled a new race start procedure – involving flashing blue grid panels – at pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Following discussions in a meeting of the F1 Commission on Wednesday, 10 cars trialled a fresh procedure on Wednesday, with a “five-second, blue pre-start warning” before the usual five red lights illuminate and vanish.
The drivers completed two formation laps before setting up on the grid and undertaking the new protocol. With noisy revving engines, all 10 cars moved off the line, with some experiencing more wheelspin than others. Further trials will take place on Thursday and Friday.
It has not yet been confirmed whether F1 will revert to this order of play for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 8 March.
The reason for the change is another fresh phenomenon, as a result of this new generation of cars. These new hybrid engines need to be revved to build up turbo boost pressure and minimise turbo-lag, resulting in some drivers revving hard for more than ten seconds.
The customary start procedure, which sees five red lights blink at one-second intervals before all five vanish, would not provide enough time for drivers at the back of the grid to prepare their turbo in time.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has implored the sport to find a solution before the season-opener in Australia on 8 March, due to the potential for dangerous collisions on the grid if one or several cars fail to move off the line.
“We need to make sure that the race start procedure allows all cars to have the power unit ready to go because the grid is not the place in which you want to have cars slow in taking off the grid,” Stella said.
“This is of bigger interest than any competitive interest. I think all teams and the FIA should play the game of responsibility when it comes to what is needed in terms of race start procedure. I’m thinking about the timings, for instance, the timing of the lights, the timing before the lights.
“They need to be in the right place to make sure that, first of all, it’s a safe phase of the way we go racing.”
However, Ferrari are the only engine manufacturer not in favour of any rule change. Motorsport outlet The Race details that Lewis Hamilton’s team have already blocked one proposal, and could reject future solutions on the table, as they feel every team was aware of the challenges posed by turbo lag. As such, it infers that Ferrari believe they have a competitive advantage with the way they built their power unit and the potential to be quicker off the line than their competitors.
Mercedes driver George Russell hinted as such, saying on Friday: “I think Ferrari seem to be able to run higher gears than other manufacturers, which probably suggests they’ve got a smaller turbo than other manufacturers.”
“So maybe they’re in a slightly easier position for their race starts.”
