New F1 clutch paddle behind Ferrari's 'scalded cat' Aus starts.

[John S]

Complete redesign caught other teams on the hop.   

So says Giorgio Piola on Mastermotorsport.com.  Would explain a lot wouldn't it. 

Ferrari steering wheel may hold key to rocket F1 starts

Ferrari’s brilliant getaways at the Australian Grand Prix were key to its early victory challenge – and could well be the result of a unique approach to new start restrictions that Giorgio Piola has uncovered.

As early as pre-season testing, rivals had been alerted about what Ferrari was capable of by monitoring data from Barcelona.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: “We saw that in pre-season testing their starts have been really strong.”

Even ahead of the race, there were rumours that Ferrari knew it would excel in this area. Its decision to not do a second run in Melbourne’s Q3 was mainly fuelled by its desire to save a set of super soft tyres for the race.

But another suggestion also emerged – that the team knew just how good its starts were so securing the second row of the grid was good enough for it to believe it had a shout of the lead on the first lap.

Piola’s comparison of Ferrari’s 2015 and 2016 steering wheel arrangement shows, the team has been the most aggressive in changing its clutch configuration for this year.

New rules mean that drivers can only use a single hand on a single clutch paddle for the race start – even if teams choose to keep a double-paddle arrangement for emergencies.

Ferrari has opted for something totally different to its main rivals by abandoning a double paddle arrangement (see red arrows on above left image). Instead, it has a single ‘rocker’ paddle that stretches all the way across the back of the wheel.

Investing in such a dramatic design change clearly points to it having unlocked a decent performance advantage.

The exact reasons for this configuration are unclear, but it may be that it allows the driver a greater feel for the clutch bite point – and means he is better able to judge how to deliver the perfect getaway.

If you ally that to Ferrari’s known behaviour of being aggressive with race start engine maps - the same ones that are used after pit stops and have caught Kimi Raikkonen out in the past – the combination could be well lift it well clear of the opposition. 
 
Edited highlights from a longer piece by Jonathan Noble, master.motorsport.com/f1, Fri 25th March.

[F1fanaticBD]

Development freeze only applies to engine, isn't it?

[cosworth151]

A change in the clutch paddle system was mandated this season. sounds like Ferrari just did it better than the rest. I wonder if Haas got it, too.

http://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/latest/technical/2016/3/analysis---the-single-clutch-race-start-returns.html