The media recently reported that the Formula 1 Commission will discuss if the current jump-start rules are good enough. Right now, a jump start is decided only by the sensors detecting any movement before the race starts.
Sometimes, like in Lando Norris’s case at this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, drivers seem to move before the lights but aren’t penalized because the sensors don’t catch it. In Jeddah, Norris moved a bit before the lights went out, but since the sensor didn’t notice, he wasn’t punished.
The rules say that the decision about jump starts is based on what the sensor shows. But now, there’s talk about changing this. They might consider it a jump start if the race control sees the car move in the video, even if the sensor doesn’t catch it.
It’s not clear if everyone agrees with this change. If most teams support it, it might become a rule by the Miami Grand Prix. But not all teams are on board. Some worry that this could make jump-start a matter of opinion. They think it’s better to make the sensors better at catching all movements.
This isn’t the first time this has come up. In the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas was cleared for a jump start, and the same happened to Sebastian Vettel in Japan the year before.
