FIA Details New F1 Start Procedure Focused on Safety, Not Advantage

The FIA will trial a new start‑assist system in Friday practice at the Miami Grand Prix. Using the car’s MGU‑K, it can give an emergency boost when a car stalls or accelerates below a set threshold, helping it reach a safer speed before the pack arrives. The goal is to cut first‑lap rear‑end crashes without giving any driver a performance edge.

Why it matters:

• Safety – Prevents high‑speed rear‑end collisions on the opening lap when cars are bunched together.
• Fair play – The boost only activates in true emergencies, so drivers still lose positions and gain no competitive edge.
• Technical precedent – Shows hybrid power units can serve safety functions beyond pure performance.

The details:

• Detection – Software watches each car’s acceleration for the first second after the lights go out; falling below a high threshold triggers the MGU‑K.
• Boost – Up to 120 kW of electric power is applied for a few seconds, just enough to get the car moving safely.
• Frequency & examples – Tombazis estimates only two or three interventions per season; it would have helped Liam Lawson’s stalled start in Australia 2024 but not Max Verstappen’s modest mis‑fire in China.
• No advantage – The aid only turns a disastrous start into a bad one; drivers still lose positions, and teams deem that penalty sufficient.

What's next:

• Trial scope – The system will be used only for practice starts during Miami’s 90‑minute Friday session; it will not affect qualifying or the race.
• Data collection – FIA will compare assisted starts with real race starts to see how many incidents could be avoided.
• Future rollout – Positive data could lead to a phased introduction for sprint and Grand Prix starts later this year.