FIA Completes Investigation Into F1 Chaos in Malaysia and Announces Measures
The governing body said teams and engine makers will expand validation after cars lost power on the formation lap and the race was delayed.
- On Sunday, October 4, 2026, the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, faced significant delays after a software bug caused several cars to lose power during the formation lap, leaving drivers stranded on track.
- Investigators found the issue stemmed from a 250kW power restriction applied during wet-weather races, which caused the car's electric motors to enter lock-down mode when drivers adopted a cautious approach.
- Drivers criticized the "software bug," prompting the FIA to issue an emergency update to all teams before the race eventually restarted over an hour later than originally scheduled.
- The FIA confirmed the emergency configuration will be reinstated for this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix should similar weather conditions arise, while FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis pledged to "strengthen" future software validation processes.
- A more permanent software update will follow for the United States Grand Prix, incorporating independent assessments to ensure greater reliability for the complex 2026 power units.
12 Articles
12 Articles
FIA completes investigation into F1 chaos in Malaysia and announces measures
The governing body will revert to the same temporary solution used at Sepang for the Singapore Grand Prix. A more permanent update to the software will be introduced ahead of the F1 weekend in Austin
Winnipeg Free Press
FIA to 'strengthen' software testing after F1 cars stopped on track in Malaysia
SINGAPORE (AP) — The FIA has defended its handling of the Formula 1 car software bug which delayed the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last weekend and pledged it will “strengthen” how the code is tested in future.
On October 8, the FIA (International Automobile Federation) announced that a malfunction in the program of the power unit (PU) ECU (Electronic Control Unit) occurred during the formation lap of the 2026 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix, held in Sepang, Malaysia, resulting in unintended consequences. […]
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