"Stupid" drivers could be passed by "half the grid" at start of F1 Australian GP

Race starts are key to performance in F1 2026 due to how complex they have become under the regulation change

A Formula 1 driver may be “passed by half the grid” at the start of the Australian Grand Prix if they race ‘stupidly’, reckons Ferrari star Charles Leclerc.

The championship is debuting its latest regulation overhaul this year with changes to both the chassis and power unit, which has vastly altered the way drivers go racing.

That’s largely because of the engine tweaks with it now being more reliant on electrical energy - almost 50:50 - meaning battery management will play a greater role, while race starts are more complex.

The removal of the MGU-H means drivers must rev their engines much higher for at least 10 seconds to spool up the turbo and timing the procedure wrong could pitch the car into anti-stall at the lights.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri previously said that this could cost a driver up to seven positions, something that Leclerc thinks may be witnessed during the 2026 opener in Melbourne on Sunday.

“There are lots of unknowns,” said Leclerc, who qualified fourth. “I don't really know how it's going to go. You can easily pass cars on the first lap, you can very easily then get passed by half the grid on the next lap if you go so stupid.

“So, I don't know if it will end up [with] everybody not doing anything or seeing some crazy things, but I guess we'll wait and see tomorrow.”

Practice starts were interesting to watch during pre-season testing in Bahrain as drivers tried to get used to the new procedure, with some faring better than others.

Ferrari arguably had the most success as one occasion saw Lewis Hamilton jump from fifth to first, but Leclerc doesn’t believe this advantage will remain come Sunday.

As long as Mercedes doesn’t mess up the start, it should keep its dominant 1-2 from qualifying with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who qualified third, maybe Leclerc’s best chance of an overtake.

“It was a bit chaotic in Bahrain, the starts we've seen,” Leclerc told Sky Sports. “I don't think it will look like that tomorrow, but I might be wrong.

“The thing is that when everybody is in its optimal window for the start, there's not that much between the cars. It's kind of easy for us to reach that optimum window for the start.

“It's, I believe - I've never tried the Mercedes engine - much more difficult for them to reach that optimum window and that means it might be a bit more tricky for them at the start. But if they do everything perfect, I don't expect them to struggle at all.”