Ferrari shrugs off FIA start tweak as Hamilton blasts from fifth to first
Lewis Hamilton went from fifth to first in a practice start in Bahrain
The FIA’s decision to introduce flashing blue lights to inform drivers that the start procedure is about to begin may make for a safer start, but it has done little to curtail Ferrari’s apparent advantage off the line.
Thursday’s running at the Bahrain International Circuit saw the FIA trial start procedures from the grid in the final 10 minutes of the morning session, and again in the afternoon.
Lewis Hamilton leads Ferrari surge despite FIA blue light change
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Flashing blue lights alerted drivers that the start process was seconds away, giving them the opportunity to begin to get the cars into start configuration earlier than in yesteryear.
The decision came after drivers noticeably struggled with their practice starts during testing, the result of Formula 1’s decision to remove the MGU-H from the new engines.
The MGU-H previously helped to cover up turbo lag across the lower rev range, and without it, the cars are taking more time to prepare for launch.
Fearing chaos at the start of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the first competitive launch of the F1 2026 championship, the FIA added a pre-start warning to the process.
More on Ferrari’s race starts
Blistering Lewis Hamilton practice start adds more weight to Ferrari F1 2026 theory
Charles Leclerc says 2026 power unit rules create perfect smokescreen
Mercedes’ Toto Wolff believes it was the right call.
“The issue that you know, it’s quite tricky to get these cars going. Some take a little bit longer to get all the processes going, and some not,” he told PlanetF1.com and other media in Bahrain.
“And I think the FIA came up now with a good solution to make sure that there is not carnage on the start.”
Turning to Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur, the Austrian asked: “Agreed?”
“Basically, yes, but no,” replied the Frenchman.
“But overall, the story is also that we raised this one year ago with the FIA about the starting procedure, that it was tricky. I think everybody knew that without the H, it will be a tricky phase of the weekend.
“The FIA decided to not change the procedure.
“By the way, we all took the decision on the architecture of engine based on regulation.
“The procedure with the flashing lights, it’s fitting with everybody. Everybody’s happy with this. We all think that it’s safe and let’s go like this.”
“But,” he added, “if someone is a bit not convinced, they can always start from the pit lane if it’s not safe.”
The blue light warning, though, has done little to curtail Ferrari’s apparent advantage with Lewis Hamilton quick off the line in a four-driver battle at the end of Thursday morning’s session.
Hamilton doubled down on that at the end of the day, storming from fifth to first, following Esteban Ocon in the Ferrari-powered Haas to power past the Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, Ocon and then the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli to run from fifth to first into Turn 1.
Alex Albon in the Mercedes-powered Williams had a poor start as he struggled to get off the line but did get going, while Oscar Piastri had to make his way around Sergio Perez in the Cadillac and Franco Colapinto in the Haas.
Rapid from Lewis Hamilton at the practice start 💨#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/5sPixZ2Z7i
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 19, 2026
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: F1 Testing: Ferrari unveils radical rotating active rear wing
