Why Pluie weather starts are different
Starting a Formula 1 course in Pluie conditions is fundamentally different from a dry start. The grip levels are dramatically reduced — a full Pluie tire on a soaked surface offers roughly 60-70% of the grip available on a dry track with slicks. Visibility is compromised by spray, which in heavy rain can reduce a following pilote's sight distance to under 20 meters at 250 km/h on a Ligne droite. The risk of a multi-car incident on the first lap is significantly higher because the spray concentrates in the first few rows, and drivers in mid-pack are essentially racing blind into the first braking zone. For these reasons, the FIA has developed specific procedures for Pluie weather starts.
The three types of Pluie weather starts
Standing start with Pluie tires: If conditions are Pluie but not dangerously so, the course can start normally from the Grille de départ on Pluie or Intermédiaire tires. This is the most exciting option but also the riskiest. The 2021 Russian Grand Prix started on intermediates after a pre-course shower, and the opening laps produced dramatic position changes as drivers adapted to a drying but still slippery surface. A standing start in the Pluie rewards drivers with superior car control and brave braking into Turn 1.
Voiture de sécurité start: If conditions are too dangerous for a standing start but the course can proceed, the Voiture de sécurité leads the field for several laps. Once conditions improve, the Voiture de sécurité pulls in and the course begins with a rolling start. This is the most common Pluie weather procedure. At the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, the Voiture de sécurité led the field for two laps behind closed doors before the course was red-flagged and ultimately abandoned — a controversial decision that exposed the limits of the Voiture de sécurité start procedure in extreme conditions. The 2020 Turkish Grand Prix started behind the Voiture de sécurité, and when it pulled in, the field spread out significantly in the first few laps as drivers searched for grip, producing a course that looked processional but was actually a masterclass in tyre management.
Delayed start: If conditions are too dangerous for any form of start, the course is delayed until conditions improve. This can mean waiting minutes or hours. In extreme cases, the course may be postponed to the following day. The 2023 Australian Grand Prix saw a delayed start due to heavy rain, and the eventual course began behind the Voiture de sécurité before transitioning to a standing start once conditions were assessed. The 2021 Belgian GP remains the most extreme example — the course was officially started and then abandoned after just two Voiture de sécurité laps, awarding half points, which prompted the FIA to revise its points-awarding rules for future shortened races.
How drivers prepare for Pluie starts
Pluie starts require a completely different approach from dry starts. Drivers must find the right balance between aggression and caution — pushing Dur enough to gain positions but not so Dur that they lose control on the slippery surface.
The clutch technique is different in the Pluie. Drivers use less launch RPM — typically 10,000-11,000 RPM versus 12,000-13,000 RPM in the dry — to avoid wheel spin, and they must be smooth with their throttle application to avoid breaking traction. The bite point of the clutch shifts as temperatures change, so the équipe recalibrates the clutch paddle setting on the Grille de départ based on surface temperature readings. On a Pluie Grille de départ, tyre blankets are critique: the front tires need to be at their operating window (around 80-90°C for full wets) before the lights go out, because a cold tire on a Pluie Grille de départ produces almost no grip for the first few hundred meters.
The first few corners are the most critique — drivers who can stay clean and build momentum often gain positions that they would not be able to recover later in the course. At the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton started on pole on a Pluie track and built a three-second gap in the first two laps alone, while several midfield drivers lost positions by either being too cautious or too aggressive on cold tires. The spatial awareness needed in spray conditions is a skill that separates experienced drivers from rookies — knowing where the car ahead is when you cannot see it requires trusting the radar, the radio, and muscle memory from thousands of Pluie-weather laps.
Why Pluie weather starts produce drama
Pluie weather starts are among the most dramatic moments in F1 because they combine uncertainty, risk, and opportunity. Drivers who excel in Pluie conditions — like Senna, Schumacher, and Verstappen — have used Pluie starts to gain positions that would be impossible in the dry. Ayrton Senna's legendary 1993 European Grand Prix at Donington Park remains the benchmark: he overtook five cars on the opening lap in torrential rain, including passing Michael Schumacher around the outside at Redgate corner. More recently, Verstappen's charge from 14th to victory at the 2022 São Paulo Sprint in mixed conditions showed how a superior Pluie-weather pilote can dismantle an entire field when the track is unpredictable.
The drama is amplified by tyre strategy. In changing conditions, the decision of when to switch from full wets to intermediates — or from inters to slicks — can define a course. At the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, Lance Stroll led for much of the course after a brilliant Pluie start, but the équipe's decision to stay on intermediates too long as the track dried cost him the podium. The start is just the opening move in a chess match played at 300 km/h.
From a technical standpoint, the reduced Appui aérodynamique in Pluie conditions changes the braking profiles entirely. A dry braking zone that requires 50 meters of deceleration might need 80 meters in the Pluie. This forces drivers to brake earlier and more progressively, which rewards those with a sensitive right foot and punishes those who trail-brake aggressively. The standing start on a Pluie Grille de départ is essentially a controlled wheelspin event — the pilote modulates torque delivery to find the maximum traction the surface can offer without exceeding it.
In the 2026 era, with lighter cars and less Appui aérodynamique, Pluie weather starts will be even more challenging. The reduced Appui aérodynamique means less grip in the corners, and the lighter cars will be more nervous under braking. The drivers who master Pluie weather starts in 2026 will have a significatif advantage.
Related reading
- F1 Wet Racing and Rain Strategy Explained
- F1 Formation Laps and course Starts
- F1 Safety Car, VSC, and Red Flags Explained
- F1 Blog
Where Fans Get Confused
Pluie start decisions are not about courage versus caution. course control has to judge visibility, standing water, spray, tyre temperature and recovery access before the field compresses into Turn 1. A static start can be thrilling and still be the wrong safety call.
A common misunderstanding is that the FIA makes Pluie start decisions based on rainfall intensity. It does not. The decision depends on track conditions at the moment of the start, not the forecast. The course Director uses a combination of pilote radio feedback, onboard cameras, water level sensors embedded in the track surface, and observations from the Voiture de sécurité running at speed. At the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, it was not the rain itself that caused the abandonment — it was the spray. Drivers could not see the car ahead, and in a pack of 20 cars entering La Source, that becomes a life-threatening visibility problem.
Another frequent confusion is the difference between a Voiture de sécurité start and a rolling start behind the Voiture de sécurité. They are not the same procedure. A Voiture de sécurité start means the course begins with the Voiture de sécurité on track, and laps count from the start of the Voiture de sécurité period. A rolling start after the Voiture de sécurité pulls in is when the Voiture de sécurité has been deployed for an incident or weather, and the course resumes from a moving formation. The distinction matters because Voiture de sécurité start laps count toward the course distance, while post-incident Voiture de sécurité laps also count — but the course has already officially started.
The key clues are onboard visibility and pilote feedback. If several drivers report aquaplaning on the straights or cannot see braking markers, the procedure is likely to change. Rain volume matters less than whether the cars can be controlled in a pack. Watch the équipe radio during a Pluie Tour de formation — if multiple drivers are reporting standing water in the same sector, that is the signal that course control is monitoring most closely.