FIA release statement after F1 cars’ ‘software error' sparks Bahrain Grand Prix chaos

Sepang, Bahrain GP, 2026, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

FIA release statement after F1 cars’ ‘software error' sparks Bahrain Grand Prix chaos

Waiting to start a race for a software update...humbling

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 4 October 2026 18:54

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The FIA has confirmed that part of the delay in starting the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday was the fault of a software issue.

Heavy rain had initially pushed the race start back, but cars were out on track just 40 minutes late for a couple of formation laps behind the safety car with the intention of starting the race on the grid after some standing water was cleared.

However, drivers began reporting sudden losses of power on track, with Lewis Hamilton and others coming to a full stop for a time before firing back up and getting going. Everyone was dragged back into the pits, where they would sit some time before the race finally got going an hour and a half late.

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There were some questions about why the race was taking so long to restart given that the track was dry enough to get started on, and getting drier all the time in the warm conditions.

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Full FIA statement on Bahrain software issues

A statement released after the race confirmed that the FIA delivered an 'updated software release' to the teams in the delay to resolve the issue, which they admitted had not been detected in testing.

The statement read: "On the formation lap ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, an unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low-grip conditions, wet-weather energy management settings and the Sepang circuit’s sector configuration led to an unintended loss of power for a number of cars.

"As a result, the FIA Technical Department removed the energy limit constraint in the affected sectors through an updated software release distributed to all competitors during the race delay caused by heavy rain enabling teams to make the necessary changes to the Power Unit before the start of the race.

"This issue had not been detected by the FIA or the teams during testing or during the laps to the grid. The FIA, together with the teams and Power Unit manufacturers, will undertake a full review of the issue."

FIA director: There was an error in the software

FIA single seater director Nikolas Tombazis was at the track, and confirmed to the media that there had been an 'error' in the software configurations for wet conditions.

"There are special configurations in the software for rain conditions, and there has been an error in the software. It has not been the teams' fault."

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord was talking to Sky Sports during the delay, as the broadcasters looked for reasons the race was not starting, telling them: “All the teams have been sent some new parameters to load into the cars as well which is happening up and down the grid.

"There may have been something, a sort of software issue of some kind that was behind some of the difficulties we saw earlier.”

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