Dead batteries at the start: formation lap management blamed for Melbourne chaos. F1 2026 energy management: The formation lap drama that shaped the Australian GP start.

A chaotic start

As expected, the start of the Australian Grand Prix was far from smooth. No car stalled on the grid, but some drivers had very slow launches—with serious risks, as seen with Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto—while others found themselves with completely or nearly depleted batteries as the lights went out. This forced some, like Max Verstappen, to hold back on the first lap in order to recharge. To make matters worse, the lights went out extremely quickly, adding to the confusion and chaos at the start.

Drivers’ accounts and team explanations

The situation was openly addressed by Red Bull Racing, with team principal Laurent Mekies saying: “Both Verstappen and Hadjar started the race without battery. But it is our responsibility to avoid ending up in that situation. We encountered unexpected limitations in how the battery could be charged and discharged during the formation lap. We were unable to reach the optimal charge level for the start due to accelerations, braking, and the need to warm brakes and tyres, which are typical during the formation lap. For the drivers, this meant having to recharge the battery during the first lap, and obviously it was not pleasant.”

Both Hadjar and Verstappen therefore had to start the race in a defensive mode, without the ability to recover positions. Mekies added context, suggesting the track characteristics contributed: “Going slower in the final sector makes it much harder to recharge the battery because the MGU-K recovery action is reduced.”

Even during the formation lap, Verstappen noticed the problem and radioed: “Mate, my battery is dead. It’s not charging at all. The battery, damn it!” The Dutchman later explained: “Terrible, I had no battery. Somehow during the formation lap it fully discharged. I started with a dead battery.”

Hadjar was equally direct: “I already had problems on the formation lap and at the start I was without battery. I took the lead for half a second and then had no more power. The charge remained empty for the first two laps and I had no power on the straight for a while, then it started to recover.”

A very similar issue affected Mercedes, as explained by strategic development director Simone Resta: “We couldn’t optimise the starting procedure as a team. We were severely low on battery, and this happened because it was the first time we tested the full procedure. The drivers managed to stay calm. We will learn from this and come back stronger next time.”

Andrew Shovlin, head of Mercedes track engineers, confirmed: “The start was difficult. We didn’t do a good enough job managing the limited energy on the formation lap, and both drivers ended up with dead batteries. We had to recharge immediately.”

George Russell, who went on to win the race, identified the start as the most critical moment of his race: “At the start, we had no battery, and we were lucky because it could have been worse. The opening laps were a nightmare. We knew it would be tough, but when we reached the grid, I had no battery. So I started poorly and had to fight with Charles Leclerc.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli experienced the same issue, losing several positions at the lights: “I couldn’t even do a burnout while arriving on the grid because I had no power and I was very worried as the car wasn’t responding to the throttle. When I reached my starting slot and saw zero on the battery, I got a bit scared.”

Ferrari also affected

Ferrari made a strong start, with Charles Leclerc leading into the first corner. However, even the Monegasque driver was not immune: “From the outside, it looked like a good start, but I think for some reason we all had the same problem. For some reason the battery was very, very low. Mine was probably a little higher than the others, which helped me stay in front, but I wasn’t at my best. I thought I’d be eighth or ninth, but in the end, I had the fewest problems.”

Leclerc also noted the extremely fast lights out: “We expected a messy start, but the lights went out very, very quickly and I think it caught everyone off guard, making the situation even more critical. It was all a bit crazy.”

Interestingly, Charles Leclerc later discussed the start with George Russell in the paddock: the Englishman confirmed, “We were both (including Antonelli) at zero battery,” and Leclerc replied, “Also Hadjar. I had 20% and still more than you guys.”