Ferrari Telemetry Reveals Secrets Behind Australian GP Lightning Starts
After the opening race of the 2026 season, PlanetF1.com data expert Uros Radovanovic analyzed the start of the Ferraris in Melbourne. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton made explosive launches off the line, confirming pre-season suspicions that Ferrari had found a way to gain an edge at the start.
A significant portion of Ferrari’s strong early-race performance can be attributed to the start itself. Even during pre-season testing, whispers suggested that the Scuderia had engineered a system to outperform rivals, but few expected it to be this effective.
How Ferrari Achieved Their Explosive Start
The new generation of F1 cars requires more time in the high-revving zone to prepare for a standing start—a trait first noted during Bahrain testing. In response, the FIA introduced a revised race start procedure, giving drivers a blue light signal as the cue to switch the car into “high-revving” mode.
In Melbourne, Leclerc started fourth on the grid while Hamilton lined up further back on the seventh row. A pre-race incident prevented Oscar Piastri from starting, leaving an empty slot ahead of Hamilton and creating a clear path forward.
Despite this, it was Leclerc who truly stole the spotlight, surging from fourth to lead the field through Turn 1. Telemetry data shows how Ferrari optimized engine revs, clutch engagement, and torque delivery to achieve a start that gave them an immediate strategic advantage.
Ferrari’s ability to combine car setup, driver execution, and understanding of the new start rules illustrates why their 2026 launch-phase performance is one of the most potent we’ve seen this season.
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Telemetry data reveals that Charles Leclerc achieved a significantly higher initial velocity than George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, thanks to a more aggressive and sustained throttle application during the acceleration phase down the straight. This gave Leclerc nearly a 20 km/h advantage over Russell by the time they reached Turn 1, and, combined with his ideal track position, allowed him to snatch the lead with apparent ease.
Leclerc also benefited indirectly from Antonelli’s challenging start. Despite being the most aggressive on the throttle, Antonelli suffered excessive rear-wheel spin, which slowed him down and inadvertently cleared the way for Leclerc’s surge to the front.
The telemetry clearly shows that Kimi Antonelli had to lift off the throttle to regain grip, costing him valuable time and several positions through the opening complex of corners.
While not as spectacular as Leclerc’s launch, Lewis Hamilton still made notable progress off the line. His main competitors were Lando Norris, who had a sluggish getaway, and Isack Hadjar.
By the entry to Turn 1, both Hadjar and Hamilton had overtaken Norris in the McLaren. Telemetry data highlights the significant speed advantage they held at this stage. However, Hamilton ran slightly wide through T1, losing momentum and a position to Hadjar in the process.
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But the standout driver at Melbourne was the season’s sole rookie, Arvid Lindblad, who made an immediate impression by leapfrogging Hamilton.
Lindblad executed a clean launch and capitalised on the poor starts of Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli, going wheel-to-wheel with them exiting Turn 1. His masterstroke came between Turns 2 and 3, where he strategically saved his battery deployment for maximum effect, turning his car into a rocket and vaulting ahead of rivals.
Telemetry shows that while Lindblad was the slowest through T2 compared to Lando and Kimi, he became the fastest through T3, demonstrating perfect timing and energy deployment to gain multiple positions in just a few corners.
These strategic “games” with electrical energy management are exactly what, in theory, should make Formula 1 more captivating for fans. For now, it’s clear that the new regulations have created a completely different start-of-race dynamic, and as the season unfolds, teams are likely to discover even more creative ways to weaponise these systems to gain an edge.
Read next: Oscar Piastri reveals ‘not insignificant’ factor behind heartbreaking Australian GP crash
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