Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur felt some degree of bewilderment when Formula 1's starting procedure was put under scrutiny during testing ahead of the 2026 season, stating the need to manage turbo lag "was known from day one".
As part of the wide-ranging technical regulation changes for 2026, the cars no longer carry the MGU-H - the motor generator unit attached to the turbocharger. Since this was used to spool up the turbo at lower revs, turbo lag - the time taken to get the turbine to spin at full speed - was effectively eliminated.
