The race start
F1 races begin with a standing start. The cars line up on the grid in qualifying order, five red lights come on one by one above the start line, and the race begins when all five go out. Before that moment there's a set routine that runs for about 40 minutes, and most of it is about getting the cars, tyres and drivers ready without anyone wandering into danger.
Getting to the grid
The pit lane exit opens 40 minutes before the formation lap is due to start and stays open for 10 minutes. In that window each driver drives out for a reconnaissance lap, checking the track conditions and the car. Some do two or three, driving slowly down the pit lane between each one. A car that can't complete a lap and reach the grid under its own power isn't allowed to start from the grid.
The grid itself is a staggered, one-by-one layout, with each row 16 metres behind the one in front. Pole position sits on the side of the track that gives the better line into the first corner.
Once the cars are parked, the grid fills with mechanics, engineers, guests and TV crews. A countdown then clears it:
| Signal | What has to happen |
|---|---|
| 10 minutes | Everyone except drivers, officials and team technical staff leaves the grid |
| 5 minutes | All four wheels must be fitted and tyre blankets switched off |
| 3 minutes | No more than 16 people per team allowed on the grid |
| 1 minute | Engines are started and team staff start leaving |
| 15 seconds | Everyone must be off the grid, taking all equipment with them |
A car that doesn't have all its wheels on at the 5-minute signal gets a stop-and-go penalty. If a mechanic is still touching a car, or equipment is still plugged in, after the 15-second signal, that car has to start from the pit lane instead.
The formation lap
When the green lights come on, the field sets off on the formation lap, led by the pole-sitter. You'll often hear it called the warm-up lap. Drivers weave from side to side and accelerate hard out of slow corners to put heat into their tyres and brakes, and to clean the tyres of any dirt. Full practice starts are banned, and the cars are meant to keep in a tight group.
Overtaking isn't allowed on the formation lap. The one exception is when a car is slow to get away or has a problem: the cars behind can pass it, and the delayed driver can then pass people to get back to their original grid slot. If they haven't managed it by the first safety car line (a marked point just before the pit entry), they have to go into the pit lane and start from there.
Cars that are starting from the pit lane wait at the pit exit and join the back of the formation lap once the whole field has gone past. At the end of the lap they go back into the pit lane and start the race from there. See starting from the pit lane for the reasons a driver might end up there.
Lights out
Each car stops in its own grid box with the engine running. Then:
- Once every car has come to a halt, the light panels along the grid flash blue for 5 seconds and "Pre-Start" appears on the gantry. This is new for 2026.
- The five red lights come on one at a time, one second apart.
- After the fifth light, there's a pause. The starter chooses how long, so drivers can't anticipate it.
- All the lights go out. The race has started.
The blue pre-start phase exists because of the 2026 power units. They no longer have an MGU-H, the part that used to keep the turbo spinning, so drivers need a few seconds of high revs before the start to get the turbo up to speed. Without it, some cars would bog down off the line. You can read more on the power unit page.
Some of the 2026 overtake mode tools are also switched off for the start. Overtake mode is disabled until the leader has crossed the detection line for the first time.
Jump starts
From the moment the third red light comes on until the lights go out, every car must be completely still. A sensor in each car (the transponder) works with sensors in the grid to detect exactly when it first moves. If it moves before the lights go out, that's a jump start, also called a false start.
A car also has to be positioned properly in its grid box, with no part of its front tyres' contact patches over the lines at the front or sides. Fernando Alonso got a 5-second penalty at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for lining up slightly outside his box.
The stewards decide the penalty, from a 5-second time penalty up to a stop-and-go, depending on how much the driver gained. A twitch that's immediately corrected is treated very differently from a car that's rolling forward when the lights go out.
When something goes wrong
If a driver stalls on the grid at the end of the formation lap, they raise their hands above their head. Marshals next to that row wave yellow flags, and a yellow light panel at the grid comes on to warn the drivers behind. What happens next depends on how serious the problem is.
Aborted start
If the problem could make the start dangerous, the race director aborts the start. Orange lights come on at the gantry, an "ABORTED START" board is shown and every car stays in its grid slot with the engine off. Mechanics are allowed back onto the grid, and the whole countdown starts again from the 10-minute signal.
Extra formation lap
If the problem is less serious, the race director orders an extra formation lap instead. The orange lights come on, an "EXTRA FORMATION LAP" board is shown, and two seconds later the green lights send the cars off on another lap. A stalled car is pushed off the grid to the pit lane, where the team can try to restart it and send it out from the pit lane.
In both cases, the race is shortened by one lap each time the procedure is used, and the driver who caused it has to start from the pit lane. The race still counts for the championship however many times it has to be restarted.
Delayed start
If the problem happens before the formation lap has begun (bad weather, a track barrier needing repair), the race director can delay the start. Orange lights come on, a "DELAYED START" board goes up and the countdown restarts from the 10-minute signal once a new time is set.
Starting behind the safety car
When the track is too wet or dangerous for a normal start, the formation laps can take place behind the safety car. Once conditions improve, the race director chooses between two ways to get racing:
- A standing start: the safety car pulls into the pits, the cars line up on the grid and the normal light sequence takes place. This is the usual choice.
- A rolling start: the safety car pulls in, the leader controls the pace, and racing begins when the leader crosses the control line.
Every lap run behind the safety car, apart from one, comes off the race distance. There's more on this in racing in the wet.