Helmut Marko says F1 may be forced to introduce ‘rolling starts’ for the Australian Grand Prix

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Safety concerns have arisen over F1 race starts due to the nature of the new power units, and Helmut Marko believes officials have no other choice but to begin the season-opening Australian Grand Prix with a rolling start.

The introduction of a 50/50 split between electrical and thermal energy in the new F1 power units has caused a multitude of concerns for everyone inside the F1 paddock.

Max Verstappen compared the new F1 cars to ‘Formula E on steroids’, and found himself in hot water with FOM for it.

However, another big concern refers to race starts. Due to the new power unit formula, drivers are forced to charge up the turbo in order to keep engine revs high and get a good launch off the line.

Failing this, and they could be a sitting duck for the F1 cars that charge past them once the lights drop, which raises an entirely new question of safety.

• READ MORE: Sebastian Vettel tells Lewis Hamilton why he shouldn’t be worried about F1’s 2026 regulation changes

Helmut Marko believes F1 has ‘no other option’ than to use a rolling start at the Australian Grand Prix

Oscar Piastri branded the new procedure for race starts as a ‘recipe for disaster’, and Helmut Marko has theorised on a potential workaround that F1 may be forced to implement if they aren’t able to find a solution for it.

In a recent interview with Krone, the former Red Bull special advisor said, “I only saw the practice starts, and half the cars didn’t get going.

“That’s dangerous because, for example, the driver in 22nd place can’t see if someone in fourth or sixth has stopped. And these cars have fantastic acceleration.

“I hope they can get that under control with the programming. If necessary, Formula 1 will need rolling starts for the first few races.” 

Then asked whether the regulations would allow for a rolling start in normal weather conditions, Marko replied, “When it comes to safety, there’s no other option.”

To help alleviate some tension among F1 drivers, the FIA has added an extra 5-second pause between the positioning of the last car and the lights coming on to try to avoid sudden stalls at the start.

However, this still doesn’t guarantee that every driver on the grid will be able to get their engine into the optimal window to ensure a safe getaway.

• READ MORE: Fred Vasseur ‘didn’t like’ Ferrari and Mercedes’ 2026 power unit being compared during testing

Ferrari have managed to develop a workaround for the issues that F1 teams are facing with race starts

One team that has managed to work towards eliminating the potential issues that may crop up at the start of a Grand Prix is Ferrari.

Engineers at Maranello have reportedly developed a smaller turbo unit, which means that their engine will need less time to get into the optimal working window for a fast start off the line.

It’s one of many impressive innovations that the Italian constructor has brought to testing over the last couple of weeks.

This morning, Ferrari showcased a brand-new rear wing which seemingly opens in the opposite direction to what F1 fans have become accustomed to since the introduction of DRS in 2011.

Initial telemetry data indicated that the new trick is giving their star-studded duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton an extra 10kph of performance in the straight-line mode areas.