George Russell has slammed his 2026 Formula 1 practice starts as 'worse than my worst ever,' highlighting the new turbo-spooling procedure's complexity. The Mercedes driver struggled with the revised system during Bahrain testing, where drivers must now rev engines for at least 10 seconds to spool turbos after the removal of the MGU-H from power units.

Ferrari appears to have the early advantage in starts, with Lewis Hamilton jumping several positions during testing. Russell noted that even being quick on track might not matter if drivers get their starts wrong, calling it 'the tallest hurdle' teams must overcome. His Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli acknowledged starts have been a 'weak point' but said they made progress by Friday.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri warned the new procedure could cost drivers up to 'seven spots' at race starts, with the order potentially changing dramatically off the line. The complexity of managing power delivery and timing has created a steep learning curve, with drivers experiencing both spectacular gains and costly mistakes during practice sessions.