Williams has emerged as the benchmark for Formula 1 race starts in 2026, while Ferrari has slipped from the strong launch performance it showed earlier in the season. Data examining acceleration from the grid highlights Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon among the strongest performers, although Lewis Hamilton produced an exceptional personal best for the Scuderia at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
Race starts can immediately reshape a Grand Prix, with reaction, traction and acceleration determining whether a driver attacks the opening corner from a stronger position or is forced onto the defensive. As the 2026 campaign approaches its conclusion, an analysis compiled by F1 Data Analysis offers a picture of which cars have performed particularly well during that initial acceleration phase.
Williams leads the F1 2026 race start analysis
The comparison focuses on acceleration from 0 to 200 km/h at the start of a race, and Williams comes out on top among the teams analysed. Carlos Sainz delivered one of the standout performances, reaching 200 km/h in 4.8 seconds while also making effective use of his grid position to gain places immediately.
Alexander Albon reinforced Williams’ strength in the same area. His 0–200 km/h time of 5.0 seconds placed him third overall, giving the team two drivers among the leading performers.
Oscar Piastri was another major reference point. The McLaren driver recorded 4.9 seconds, putting him second in the comparison and between the two Williams drivers.
The other end of the ranking produced a very different picture. Audi and Aston Martin registered the slowest starts included in the analysis. Lance Stroll required 5.4 seconds in the Aston Martin, which was also identified as one of the slowest cars and the one with the longest acceleration time.
Audi’s two drivers were further back on the individual figures. Nico Hülkenberg recorded 5.5 seconds, while Gabriel Bortoleto took 5.6 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 200 km/h.
Ferrari drops to fourth despite Lewis Hamilton’s Madrid launch
Ferrari’s position has changed as the 2026 season has developed. According to F1 Data Analysis, the Maranello team has lost the initial advantage it enjoyed at race starts earlier in the campaign and now ranks as the fourth-fastest team in this area.
There was, however, a particularly notable individual performance from Lewis Hamilton. At the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, the seven-time world champion registered his personal best launch of the season, accelerating from 0 to 200 km/h in just 4.45 seconds.
That figure stands out even more when placed alongside Ferrari’s broader decline in the start rankings. Hamilton’s Madrid getaway demonstrated that a strong individual launch remained possible despite the Scuderia no longer holding the advantage it had shown earlier in 2026. The Spanish weekend ultimately proved more difficult for the team overall, with the Spanish Grand Prix technical picture exposing wider challenges for Ferrari.
George Russell records the slowest start in the analysis
George Russell experienced the opposite extreme during the 2026 campaign. The Mercedes driver recorded the slowest individual start included in the dataset, taking 6.85 seconds to reach 200 km/h at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Russell’s difficulties have come during a season in which his championship prospects have diminished as Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli has proved more competitive. The contrast between the two Mercedes drivers has become particularly significant as the championship has progressed, with Antonelli establishing a substantial championship advantage over Russell.
The start figures nevertheless concern a specific performance window rather than the overall competitiveness of each car or driver. They measure how quickly the cars accelerate from 0 to 200 km/h during the launch phase, making them a focused comparison of one particularly important element of a Formula 1 start.
Why several 2026 Grands Prix were excluded
Not every race from the 2026 season was used to compile the comparison. Australia, China and Japan were removed because irregular telemetry made those events unsuitable for the analysis.
Monaco was excluded for a different reason. Its unusually short run from the starting grid meant it could not provide a comparable acceleration sample, so the race was omitted to maintain the reliability of the dataset.
With those events removed, Williams emerged as the strongest team in the available start data, led by the performances of Carlos Sainz and Alexander Albon. Ferrari, meanwhile, has fallen to fourth after losing some of its early-season advantage, even though Hamilton’s 4.45-second Madrid launch provided an impressive exception to the wider trend.
For the Scuderia, the numbers add another detail to the evolving performance picture of the SF-26. Ferrari has continued working on the car as the season has progressed, with the technical development of its 2026 package remaining an important focus as attention increasingly begins to extend towards 2027.
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