Method and apparatus for starting an internal combustion engine

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for starting an internal combustion engine having a rotation angle of the crankshaft wavy verlaufendem total torque by means of a rotating electric machine coupled to the crank shaft and between the crankshaft and the electric machine effective torsional elasticity. In order to enable a start of the internal combustion engine having a relation to the crankshaft low squat or with an optimized on small power electric machine especially in large sum of moments, the standing between two wave crests of the sum torque crankshaft is at the start of a starting process using the electric motor opposite a direction of rotation of the crankshaft during operation the internal combustion engine is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle smaller than a maximum total torque and total torque biased torsional elasticity and subsequently accelerated under direction of rotation by means of the electric machine to overcome the maximum total torque.