Formula One to probe software bug behind Bahrain GP chaos in Sepang

Drivers faced glitches astatine the contention successful Malaysia, wherever Lewis Hamilton had to halt and restart his car connected the track.

Formula One’s governing assemblage has promised a afloat probe into a bundle bug that caused chaos and forced the commencement of the Bahrain Grand Prix successful Malaysia to beryllium aborted, with drivers feeling similar they were successful battery-powered cars made of Lego.

Ferrari’s seven-time satellite champion Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s four-time champion and eventual race victor Max Verstappen were among respective affected by the glitch connected a enactment thigh aft torrential rainfall and a agelong hold astatine Malaysia’s steamy Sepang circuit connected Sunday.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4Formula One: Verstappen clinches Bahrain GP successful archetypal triumph of 2026
• list 2 of 4Mercedes nary longer person the fastest car successful F1, says person Antonelli
• list 3 of 4Kimi Antonelli takes maiden Spanish Grand Prix triumph that ‘Lando deserved’.
• list 4 of 4‘Racing is my life’: Alonso to enactment with F1 squad Aston Martin successful 2027

Verstappen compared the acquisition to a “Lego race” held astatine Silverstone earlier the British Grand Prix portion Hamilton, the sport’s astir palmy operator of each time, had to halt his car connected way and restart it successful what helium said was a vocation first.

The occurrence was the latest successful a hard archetypal play for the caller epoch of cars and engines, with drivers astatine the pinnacle of motorsport unhappy since the opening contention with the powerfulness units’ accrued electrical constituent and the request for vigor management.

FIA said afterwards that “an unprecedented operation of debased motor speed, low-grip conditions, wet-weather vigor absorption settings and the Sepang circuit’s assemblage configuration led to an unintended nonaccomplishment of powerfulness for a fig of cars”.

“As a result, the FIA method section removed the vigor bounds constraint successful the affected sectors done an updated bundle merchandise distributed to each competitors during the contention hold caused by dense rain, enabling teams to marque the indispensable changes to the powerfulness portion earlier the commencement of the race.

“This contented had not been detected by the FIA oregon the teams during investigating oregon during the laps to the grid. The FIA, unneurotic with the teams and powerfulness portion manufacturers, volition undertake a afloat reappraisal of the issue.”

The FIA’s single-seater manager Nikolas Tombazis told reporters the deficiency of preseason investigating successful bedewed conditions had played a portion successful the chaos.

“Some cars went precise slowly, astir came to a standstill. There was a spot of a concertina effect betwixt cars, and immoderate cars astir stopped completely,” helium said. “That bug prevented the powerfulness from being redeployed, and for the cars to commencement again.

“I deliberation if we had had a spot much testing, we astir apt would person managed to drawback it successful time, and not person specified a situation.”

Sepang was the archetypal contention play of the play with bedewed conditions, though the way dried during the race.

“Sometimes things autumn done the nett and radical learn, and you bash a amended occupation adjacent time,” Tombazis said.