F1's five-second pre-start procedure set to stay through 2027 season

Formula 1’s five-second pre-start procedure is expected to carry over into the 2027 season, FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has confirmed, describing it as an “established process” that serves a practical purpose beyond the safety issues that first brought it about.

The procedure was introduced this season after practice starts during pre-season testing in Bahrain exposed significant problems for several teams. Many outfits wanted more time to spool their turbochargers and build revs before the lights went out, but Ferrari resisted a longer window — its smaller turbo gave the Scuderia a competitive advantage off the line, and team principal Fred Vasseur made clear that five seconds was the absolute limit he would accept. “Enough is enough,” Vasseur said at the time.

The compromise that emerged was a five-second warning period, signalled by blue flashing lights on the grid once all cars have lined up after the formation lap. Tombazis now says there is little reason to remove it.

“I think the five seconds are an established process now, I don’t see why it would change in this regulation cycle,” Tombazis told a select group of media including Autosport. “That does not have to do with safety. It has just to do with having different cars arriving on the grid at different times, and drivers need to be able to prepare in order to have a proper start.”

While the pre-start procedure addresses procedural readiness, the FIA has tackled the underlying safety dimension through a separate technical measure. Tombazis pointed to a “low power start detection” system developed in response to the alarming incident at the season opener in Melbourne, where Liam Lawson crawled away from his grid slot and Franco Colapinto only narrowly avoided a collision.

“We have worked on start line safety,” Tombazis said. “From when we discussed the Miami package in late April until now, we’ve been working on some emergency recovery — electrical parts to help recover a car that has a very slow start and therefore not to risk cars stalling.”

The system automatically triggers MGU-K deployment when a car accelerates unusually slowly after the driver releases the clutch, providing a minimum level of acceleration and reducing the risk of a stationary car being struck by those behind. Tombazis drew a clear distinction between that electrical safety net and the pre-start procedure itself, noting: “The electrical part is more of a safety topic.”

With the 2027 regulations bringing sweeping technical changes across the grid, the retention of the pre-start procedure suggests the FIA views it as a permanent feature of race-day operations rather than a temporary fix.