At the start of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, many drivers reached the grid with low battery levels due to errors in formation lap management. This led to significant differences in speed immediately after the lights went out toward Turn 1, forcing several teams to switch into recovery mode rather than attack, using the opening lap primarily to recharge the battery.
The first start of the season was highly anticipated, not only to gauge the real performance levels on track but also to observe how the cars would behave at the lights. Starting performance had been one of the most discussed topics during the pre-season, with marked differences between manufacturers depending on the characteristics of each car.
Turbo size and gearing played a role, but one key factor emerged: Ferrari executed the start as expected, with Charles Leclerc skillfully weaving past rivals toward Turn 1 almost like bowling pins. This advantage had already been seen in testing, but at Melbourne, it was amplified by the fact that many drivers arrived on the grid with low battery levels.
Interestingly, Leclerc himself had a partially depleted battery, though not fully drained. For Ferrari, however, the impact was less significant. The smaller turbo and relatively short first gears reduced the effect of missing the extra energy from the MGU-K—an issue that proved much more critical for other teams.
Under the regulations, energy cannot be used while stationary on the grid and is blocked until reaching 50 km/h after the start. This limitation is particularly challenging for teams with larger turbos, which require more time to reach optimal RPMs and acceleration, especially when paired with longer gear ratios.
As a result, some drivers, including Mercedes, began revving the engine before the usual five-second countdown to the lights in an attempt to charge the turbo. The problem caught many teams off guard, compounding the natural differences in launch performance.
This created safety issues, particularly in the midfield, as drivers had to dodge slower cars or avoid nearly stationary vehicles, like Franco Colapinto narrowly missing a collision with Liam Lawson, who struggled on the grid due to a power unit problem. The low battery also had a secondary effect: some drivers, like Andrea Kimi Antonelli, were unable to complete burnouts on the grid.
Without proper burnouts to heat the rear tires, the cars experienced wheelspin at the start, resulting in slower launches. “The start was tricky. We couldn’t manage the limited energy during the formation lap, and both drivers were left with low battery levels. They avoided major incidents but had to give up several positions, and we had to switch immediately to recovery mode,” explained Andrew Shovling of Mercedes.
It was no surprise to see numerous position changes during the first lap. Many drivers used the opening lap more to recharge batteries than to attack, employing heavier lift-and-coast strategies, which created additional differences in power and speed.
Why did so many cars reach the grid without sufficient energy? It’s linked to both the limited energy available and the formation lap driving style, which aims to heat tires and brakes. “Primarily, it’s our responsibility to avoid this situation. We were caught off guard by some limitations in how you can charge and discharge the battery during the formation lap,” added Laurent Mekies, noting that Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen both arrived with depleted batteries before even taking their grid positions.
Unlike a normal out-lap in qualifying, where the FIA allows an exception to recover up to 8.5 MJ of energy, the formation lap follows different dynamics. Drivers must repeatedly accelerate and brake to heat brakes and tires, placing heavy stress on the battery as energy consumption spikes during acceleration.
On a track like Melbourne, with few real recovery opportunities, this cycle made it difficult to recharge effectively, particularly because the last major opportunity comes at Turn 11 after two long straights. Slower progress in the final sector reduces MGU-K energy recovery, complicating the procedure further.
A second factor also contributed. To heat tires and brakes, braking bias is often shifted to the front axle, which changes the interaction with the ERS system. This is similar to Mercedes’ former “brake magic” concept, designed to generate temperature before the grid or during slower Safety Car periods. With front-biased braking, the motor generator works less, and with reduced rear brakes, the ideal procedure became challenging. Several engineers were surprised to see batteries arrive at the start depleted.
