F1 News: Start procedure chaos raises fresh safety fears

(GMM) Concerns about the complexity of Formula 1’s new 2026 start procedures boiled over at the end of the first Bahrain test.

The session had officially ended when a chaotic practice start on the main straight triggered alarm in the paddock. As drivers lined up, Franco Colapinto suddenly lost control of his Alpine while warming his tires, sliding onto the grass and narrowly avoiding both the wall and stationary cars ahead.

“That was embarrassing,” Sky Deutschland’s Ralf Schumacher said.

The incident has refocused attention on earlier warnings that the new power units require around ten seconds at high revs to bring the turbo into its optimal range before launch – a process many drivers say is already overly complex.

Oscar Piastri admitted the situation needs urgent attention.

“We still need to talk about the starts, because as we all saw, it’s quite complicated to make a safe start, let alone a good one,” the McLaren driver said.

“There are many issues we need to address – the starts and overtaking will certainly be different than before. Also, the question of whether or not we use the straight-line mode at the start. I think a field of 22 cars with very different downforce levels sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

“The thing is, everyone will need different things for the start, and to be quite honest, I’m not entirely sure if any of us really know exactly what we need yet. There are so many things, just from a safety point of view, that need to be sorted out on the track.”

Piastri stressed the late-test confusion was not directly caused by the new engines but by miscommunication.

“I was told to wait until the driver in front of me had started and then make my own start, not to go on green,” he explained. “Obviously, some other people had received different information. So it had nothing to do with the power units.”

Ferrari is believed to oppose altering a ten-second procedure, reportedly confident its system does not require the same preparation window – although a viral clip emerged of a Ferrari engine revving for more than ten seconds during a practice start.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella called for immediate rule clarification.

“I think the rules need to be revised because it’s simple and entirely possible,” he said. “We shouldn’t complicate what’s easy, and we shouldn’t put off what can be done immediately. All of this absolutely needs to be addressed before Australia.”

“We need to be sure that during the start procedure, the power units on all cars are ready to move and accelerate normally. The starting grid is not a place where we want to see cars slowing down instead of accelerating. Safety considerations must take priority over the interests of the teams.”

Stella also warned that the energy-management philosophy could create dangerous situations during races.

“There could be situations where cars are closely following each other, and the driver in front wants to slow down to replenish their battery,” he said, referencing past airborne crashes involving Riccardo Patrese and Mark Webber. “We definitely don’t want to see anything like this in Formula 1 anymore.”

He added that overtaking may also suffer under the current framework.

“In the past, we had DRS, which provided a speed advantage by reducing drag. This year, when you’re following someone closely, your car has the same level of drag and exactly the same power, so overtaking becomes very difficult.”

“Right now, we shouldn’t be talking about qualifying speed or race pace – we’re concerned about safety. If safety issues can be resolved with a simple rule adjustment, then that’s what matters most.”