Method for anticipating the starting of a thermal engine in a powertrain (GMP) of a hybrid vehicle comprising at least one thermal engine and one electric machine, when its drivechain goes from a current purely electric state to a second target state likely to require the starting of the thermal engine in order to satisfy the request for force at the wheel from the driver, according to which - the maximum force that can be produced by the electric branch of the drivechain on each of the target electric states of the GMP is compared with the force that each of them must satisfy in order to be chosen or maintained as target state, and - a request for anticipated starting is imposed on the thermal engine if none of the target electric states is capable of satisfying the force request from the driver, - two Booleans are created for each target electric state, the first taking the value one if the target state is judged incapable of satisfying the torque demand from the driver, and the second Boolean taking the value one, if the target state is judged capable of satisfying this demand, - a third Boolean is created which takes the value one if all the first Booleans are equal to one, and - a fourth Boolean is created which takes the value one if at least one of the second Booleans is at one, characterized in that - the request for anticipated starting becomes effective, if the third Boolean is at one, no purely electric mode of operation of the GMP is requested by the driver, and the thermal engine is neither started nor is in the process of being started, and in that - the request for anticipated starting becomes ineffective if one of the following conditions is true: - the fourth Boolean is equal to one, - a purely electric mode of operation of the GMP is requested by the driver, - the thermal engine is started. - the maximum force that can be produced by the electric branch of the drivechain on each of the target electric states of the GMP is compared with the force that each of them must satisfy in order to be chosen or maintained as target state, and - a request for anticipated starting is imposed on the thermal engine if none of the target electric states is capable of satisfying the force request from the driver, - two Booleans are created for each target electric state, the first taking the value one if the target state is judged incapable of satisfying the torque demand from the driver, and the second Boolean taking the value one, if the target state is judged capable of satisfying this demand, - a third Boolean is created which takes the value one if all the first Booleans are equal to one, and - a fourth Boolean is created which takes the value one if at least one of the second Booleans is at one, characterized in that - the request for anticipated starting becomes effective, if the third Boolean is at one, no purely electric mode of operation of the GMP is requested by the driver, and the thermal engine is neither started nor is in the process of being started, and in that - the request for anticipated starting becomes ineffective if one of the following conditions is true: - the fourth Boolean is equal to one, - a purely electric mode of operation of the GMP is requested by the driver, - the thermal engine is started. - the fourth Boolean is equal to one, - a purely electric mode of operation of the GMP is requested by the driver, - the thermal engine is started. <EOS>