F1 starts data from the opening four rounds of the 2026 season reveals that Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is the only competitor on the grid to lose places at every single race weekend. The F1 starts data, compiled by F1.com‘s data team, covers the Australian, Chinese, Japanese, and Miami Grand Prix weekends. Ferrari and Williams have gained the most positions as new power unit regulations rewrote launch performance across the field.

What the F1 Starts Data Reveals About the New Regulations

The removal of the MGU-H electric motor under the 2026 regulations reintroduced turbo lag to race starts for the first time since 2014. The turbo now relies entirely on exhaust gases to reach maximum boost pressure. F1.com technical expert Mark Hughes explained before the season that drivers must “balance the engine revs, alongside the time needed to get the turbo up to speed, and then hold the target revs intended to match the release of the clutch.”

The F1 starts data shows the consequence of that change. Greater variation in start quality across the grid. Some teams engineered an advantage. Others are still searching.

F1 Starts Data Shows Which Teams Gained the Most

Ferrari gained 21 places across the first four races according to the F1 starts data. Charles Leclerc made up 12 positions. Lewis Hamilton gained nine. The team fitted a smaller turbocharger before the season, sacrificing peak engine power for faster turbo spool. The engineering trade appears to have produced better launch performance.

Williams gained 22 places, the most of any team in the F1 starts data. An overweight car meant Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz often started toward the back of the grid, providing more room to gain ground on the opening lap. Aston Martin gained 14 places as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll used experience to navigate incidents around them.

F1 Starts Data Shows Which Teams Lost the Most

Audi lost 34 places in the F1 starts data across the first four rounds. Nico Hulkenberg accounted for 33 of those losses, including 12 from an early front wing change in Miami. Red Bull lost 30 places. Max Verstappen sits on negative 20 positions after a Lap 1 spin in Miami contributed to his total.

Mercedes lost 24 places. Antonelli dropped five positions in Australia, six in the China Sprint, and five more in Japan. The F1 starts data confirms he is the only driver on the 22-car grid to lose places at every race weekend so far.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff addressed the problem after Miami. “We’re not doing a good enough job in giving the drivers a tool in their hands, whether it’s clutch or the grip estimates,” Wolff said. “We just have to dig even deeper to try to understand how we can fix that, because the gaps are not big enough to cruise into the sunset, and therefore you can’t be missing starts.”

What Comes Next After the F1 Starts Data

The championship now enters a break before the Canadian Grand Prix. The F1 starts data has already shaped the standings. Drivers who gained positions on the opening lap gained points. Those who lost positions lost opportunities. Mercedes has the most ground to recover.`