Starts & Procedure

The opening seconds of a race are among the most scrutinised. At the start, a car must be stationary in its grid box; move before the five red lights go out and it is a jump start, which brings a penalty.

A jump start is not a judgement call — a transponder in each grid box measures the car’s position to the millimetre and detects any movement before the lights go out, so the offence is caught automatically and usually draws a time penalty. Creep forward and you are caught; anticipate perfectly and stay put, and you have a legal flying start.

There is a web of procedural rules around the grid and the formation lap: being out of position, crossing the pit-exit line on the way out, weaving excessively, or failing to follow the start procedure can all be punished. Overtaking on the formation lap is forbidden unless a car ahead is clearly delayed, and everyone must keep a sensible pace and reach the grid in the correct order and in time.