diff --git a/src/tests/ftest/control/daos_server_helper.py b/src/tests/ftest/control/daos_server_helper.py
index a6fb59fdb73..bfdac007d95 100644
--- a/src/tests/ftest/control/daos_server_helper.py
+++ b/src/tests/ftest/control/daos_server_helper.py
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ def test_daos_server_helper_format(self):
 
         # Run format command under non-root user
         self.log_step("Perform SCM format")
-        result = self.server_managers[0].dmg.storage_format()
+        result = self.server_managers[0].storage_format()
         if result is None:
             self.fail("Failed to format storage")
 
diff --git a/src/tests/ftest/server/daos_server_restart.py b/src/tests/ftest/server/daos_server_restart.py
index c9438935451..95910aae3b6 100644
--- a/src/tests/ftest/server/daos_server_restart.py
+++ b/src/tests/ftest/server/daos_server_restart.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 """
   (C) Copyright 2020-2022 Intel Corporation.
+  (C) Copyright 2026 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
 
   SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent
 """
@@ -20,12 +21,8 @@ class DaosServerTest(TestWithServers):
 
     @fail_on(ServerFailed)
     @fail_on(CommandFailure)
-    def restart_daos_server(self, force=True):
-        """Perform server stop and start.
-
-        Args:
-            force (bool): always reformat storage, could be destructive.
-        """
+    def restart_daos_server(self):
+        """Perform server stop and start."""
         self.log.info("=Restart daos_server, server stop().")
         self.server_managers[0].stop()
         self.log.info("=Restart daos_server, prepare().")
@@ -35,7 +32,7 @@ def restart_daos_server(self, force=True):
         for pool in self.pool:
             pool.skip_cleanup()
         self.log.info("=Restart daos_server, dmg storage_format.")
-        self.server_managers[0].dmg.storage_format(force)
+        self.server_managers[0].storage_format()
         self.log.info("=Restart daos_server, detect_engine_start().")
         self.server_managers[0].detect_engine_start()
         self.log.info("=Restart daos_agent, stop")
diff --git a/src/tests/ftest/util/server_utils.py b/src/tests/ftest/util/server_utils.py
index d36900dc54f..437fa606643 100644
--- a/src/tests/ftest/util/server_utils.py
+++ b/src/tests/ftest/util/server_utils.py
@@ -669,9 +669,7 @@ def start(self):
 
         # Format storage and wait for server to change ownership
         self.log.info("<SERVER> Formatting hosts: <%s>", self.dmg.hostlist)
-        # Temporarily increasing timeout to avoid CI errors until DAOS-5764 can
-        # be further investigated.
-        self.dmg.storage_format(timeout=self.storage_format_timeout.value)
+        self.storage_format()
 
         # Wait for all the engines to start
         self.detect_engine_start()
@@ -1002,6 +1000,23 @@ def kill(self):
         # set stopped servers state to make teardown happy
         self.update_expected_states(None, ["stopped", "excluded", "errored"])
 
+    def storage_format(self, **kwargs):
+        """Wrapper for dmg storage format that uses self.storage_format_timeout.
+
+        Args:
+            kwargs (dict): keyword args for DmgCommand.storage_format
+
+        Returns:
+            CmdResult: an avocado CmdResult object containing the dmg command
+                information, e.g. exit status, stdout, stderr, etc.
+
+        Raises:
+            CommandFailure: if the dmg storage format command fails.
+        """
+        if "timeout" not in kwargs:
+            kwargs["timeout"] = self.storage_format_timeout.value
+        return self.dmg.storage_format(**kwargs)
+
     @fail_on(CommandFailure)
     def system_exclude(self, ranks, copy=False, rank_hosts=None):
         """Exclude the specific server ranks.