Race starting procedure

For the Formula 1 fans, the real action begins when the starting lights go out, but the F1 Teams start with the actual race 30 minutes ahead of the effective start.

30 minutes to go

30 minutes prior to the start of the Formula One race, the countdown is on. The light at the pit lane exit goes green and the drivers can go out to take up their grid positions as determined by the qualifying session. To do so, the drivers have to complete a so-called installation lap. The drivers are allowed to do as many installation laps as they like, but if they do so, they must drive through the pit lane and bypass the grid.

15 minutes to go

With 15 minutes to go, a warning signal sounds on the grid. The light at the pit lane exit and the starting lights turn red. From this moment, no driver is allowed to leave the pits to take his grid position.

Drivers that are unable to make it to their grid position are allowed to start the race from the pit lane exit. If more than one car is to start from the pit lane, they must line up in the order in which they arrived at the pit lane exit. These drivers are not allowed to complete the formation lap and can only start after the entire field passed the pit lane exit after the start of the race.

10 minutes to go

As the start is only 10 minutes away, another signal sounds on the grid. All guests and journalists must now have left the grid. Only the team's technical staff, FIA officials and drivers are allowed to remain on the track.

5 minutes to go

With only 5 minutes to go, the first of the five red starting lights goes out. All drivers are, at this moment, sitting in their cockpits and all cars have to be fitted their tyres. After this signal, tyres may only be removed in the pits.

When a team realises that one of its cars is suffering a problem which will prevent it from starting, the car will have to start the race from the back of the grid or from the pit lane.

3 minutes to go

3 minutes prior to the start of the race, the second starting light goes out, accompanied by another sound signal. All the last adjustments are made, the visor is snapped shut, a mirror re-positioned.

1 minute to go

One minute prior to the formation lap, the third starting light goes out. The engines start to roar and all team personnel has to leave the grid within 45 seconds. The members of the team wait beside the grid to help their drivers should they experience a problem prior to the formation lap.

15 seconds to go

15 seconds before the drivers start the formation lap, only one of the five strating lights is still red. If at this point, one of the drivers should suffer a technical problem, he must raise his hand to signal that he is in trouble and marhals with yellow flags will stand beside the car, to warn the drivers behind.

Formation lap

The starting light goes green and the drivers can leave the grid for the formation lap. After 20 seconds, the lights go out and as soon as all cars have completed the formation lap and have taken up their grid positions, the official FIA starter, Charlie Whiting, gets ready to iniate the starting procedure.

Start

5 seconds to go: all the cars have returned from the formation lap and have taken their grid positions. The starting procedure is initiated. The first of the five starting lights goes red.
At this stage, the start can still be aborted when a driver raises his hand to signal he's in trouble.

4 seconds to go: if the start is aborted, the drivers will have to do a second formation lap five minutes later. Should this occur, this lap will be regarded as part of the race distance. Usually, the countdown will continue and the second light will go red.

3 seconds to go: if there are no extraordinary circumstances, like heavy rain showers, that could delay the start of the race, the third starting light will go red.

2 seconds to go: with only 2 seconds to go before the start of the race, the fourth start light turns red.

1 second to go: the fifth and last starting light goes red.

Start: The five starting lights go out and the race is on. The actual moment when the light go out is variable and not constantly one second in order to prevent electronic start timing on the cars. As for the drivers themselves, the start is all about timing. With traction control at its starting setting and automatic clutches, all a driver has to do is give full throttle, release the clutch button and be launched. With traction control te be banned next year, starts promise to be more exciting by bringing back the chance of spinning rear wheels and hence increasing the reliance of a good start onto the drivers.

Apart from the current highly technical procedure, the start of the race is one of the most exciting moments of the Grand Prix weekend, increased by the limited possibilities to overtake on track. The first lap itself can make the difference between the race win and a retirement.