Formula One start reaction
Formula One start reaction
150 ms–300 ms
Reaction — a decision, via the brain
The lights-out reaction is a visual one, so it cannot beat the roughly 200-millisecond visual floor, and the times that get quoted as remarkable are usually the clutch release rather than the reaction. The start procedure deliberately randomises the hold before lights out precisely so drivers cannot anticipate. Anything faster than about 0.15 seconds gets scrutinised as a jump start, and cars are fitted with transponders that detect movement before the signal.
The numbers
- Typical
- 200 ms
- Range
- 150 ms to 300 ms
- What it is
- Reaction — a decision, via the brain
- What is measured
- Time from the five red lights going out to the car moving.
Why this is a reaction
A reaction is a decision: signal in, processing, movement out. The floor for a human is around 150 milliseconds, and anything measured below about 100 ms is anticipation rather than response.
Where it sits against everything else
Reflexes at the top, reactions in the middle, design values off the end of the scale.
Vestibulo-ocular reflex — Reflex 10 ms
Knee-jerk (patellar) reflex — Reflex 22 ms
Latency added by your screen and mouse — Physical limit 35 ms
Blink reflex — Reflex 40 ms
Withdrawal reflex — Reflex 90 ms
Time a jab takes to land — Physical limit 110 ms
Sprint start reaction — Reaction 140 ms
Simple tactile reaction time — Reaction 155 ms
Simple auditory reaction time — Reaction 170 ms
Professional gamer reaction time — Reaction 190 ms
Formula One start reaction — Reaction 200 ms
Simple visual reaction time — Reaction 250 ms
How reaction time changes with age — Reaction 250 ms
What sleep loss does to reaction time — Reaction 300 ms
What alcohol does to reaction time — Reaction 320 ms
Recognition reaction time — Reaction 340 ms
Choice reaction time — Reaction 380 ms
Time to hit a 95 mph fastball — Physical limit 400 ms
Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty — Physical limit 450 ms
Time to play a 90 mph delivery — Physical limit 500 ms
Driver reaction to an expected event — Reaction 850 ms
Sport
| What | Typical | Range | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time a jab takes to land | 110 ms | 80 ms–150 ms | Physical limit |
| Sprint start reaction | 140 ms | 120 ms–180 ms | Reaction |
| Time to hit a 95 mph fastball | 400 ms | 375 ms–425 ms | Physical limit |
| Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty | 450 ms | 400 ms–600 ms | Physical limit |
| Time to play a 90 mph delivery | 500 ms | 450 ms–550 ms | Physical limit |
Common questions
- How long is formula one start reaction?
- Typically 200 ms, with a real range of 150 ms to 300 ms. Time from the five red lights going out to the car moving.
- Is that a reflex or a reaction?
- Reaction — a decision, via the brain. A reaction is a decision: signal in, processing, movement out. The floor for a human is around 150 milliseconds, and anything measured below about 100 ms is anticipation rather than response.
Related pages
- Time a jab takes to land 110 ms
- Sprint start reaction 140 ms
- Time to hit a 95 mph fastball 400 ms
- Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty 450 ms
- Time to play a 90 mph delivery 500 ms
- A reflex is not a reaction Why one is 20 ms and the other 250
- Stopping distance at every speed Reaction distance plus braking distance, computed
- Measure your own reaction time Five attempts, median reported
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place