Overview
- At this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, the FIA will run practice-only trials of a start-detection system that momentarily deploys the car’s electric motor to help a near-stalled launch.
- The tool checks a car’s acceleration just after the clutch release and, if it falls below a set threshold, triggers a brief MGU-K boost to get the car moving safely.
- The feature will not be enabled for the Miami sprint or Grand Prix, and officials will study data from those starts to decide when race use might follow.
- Nikolas Tombazis said the assist would have triggered only two or three times this season, including Liam Lawson’s slow getaway in Australia, and would not have helped Max Verstappen’s poorer start in China.
- The FIA dropped an initial drive-through penalty idea after teams objected, though it will impose sanctions if anyone games the system, and planned safeguards include flashing warning lights on affected cars.