---
title: "Formula One start reaction: 200 ms"
description: "Formula One start reaction: typically 200 ms, really 150 ms to 300 ms. What is measured, and why it counts as a reaction."
url: https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/f1-start-reaction/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/boxing-jab/)
- [Sprint start reaction](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/sprint-start-reaction/)
- [Time to hit a 95 mph fastball](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/baseball-fastball/)
- [Time a goalkeeper has on a penalty](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/penalty-kick/)
- [Time to play a 90 mph delivery](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/cricket-fast-bowler/)
- [A reflex is not a reaction](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/reflex-vs-reaction/)
- [Stopping distance at every speed](https://atoneplace.net/reaction-time/stopping-distance/)
- [Measure your own reaction time](https://atoneplace.net/tools/reaction-time-test/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)