FIA reveals cause of Bahrain GP software chaos during formation lap; The Sepang repair will remain for the Singapore GP
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Bahrain Grand Prix (Image: Reuters) Max Verstappen may have ended his long wait for victory in 2026 at Sepang, but the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia left Formula One with another point that had nothing to do with the race winner.Verstappen led Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton across the line to win the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix, but the race descended into chaos before the lights went out. Heavy rain delayed the start, only for several cars to suffer unexpected power losses during the formation laps due to a wet weather software issue.Four days after the incident, the FIA completed its investigation and confirmed that the revised software configuration used at Sepang would remain in place for the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix should similar wet conditions occur.
What caused the bizarre formation chaos?
The FIA determined that the problem was caused by an unintended combination of low engine revs, low grip, wet-weather energy management settings and the configuration of the Sepang circuit. Cars running at low engine speeds in the sections where the 250 kW power reduction was applied experienced a larger than intended loss of power that could not be recovered while remaining in those sections.The problem affected several cars, including those of Verstappen, Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg, with some machines slowing dramatically and others appearing to crawl around the circuit. The starting procedure was subsequently suspended while the FIA and the teams worked on a solution.
FIA keeps Sepang fix for Singapore
The FIA has confirmed that the software configuration introduced during the Sepang delay will be reinstated for Singapore if similar weather conditions are expected. However, it will not be the final solution. The governing body said the next update to the wet weather software is planned for the United States Grand Prix on October 25.The FIA also said the review recommended stricter software testing measures and acknowledged the limited options available to test powertrain configurations in wet weather.“The FIA, together with teams and power unit manufacturers (PUMs), will continue to strengthen power unit software testing and verification capabilities,” the governing body said.
The FIA rejects claims that the software was never tested
The governing body also decided to counter suggestions that the software was simply deployed without adequate testing. According to the FIA, teams and powertrain manufacturers conducted simulation exercises prior to implementation. The software was also tested in full operation in free practice 1 at the Belgian Grand Prix and the Dutch Grand Prix.However, the combination that ultimately caused the problem at Sepang was not revealed during these tests or during the grid laps.
How quickly was the problem resolved?
The FIA detailed the timeline of the breach and highlighted how quickly its technical team identified and resolved the issue.At 3:45 p.m., the race start procedure was suspended after two laps in formation following power loss issues. Within five minutes, the FIA technical team identified the cause and issued revised powertrain software configurations.By 4:03 p.m., the teams had received additional technical instructions. At 16:20 the integration process was completed and the competitors were ready to continue the race about 20 minutes later.The 10-minute signal was given at 16:22 before the cars finally left the pit lane at 16:33 and began the race start procedure.The race eventually went ahead and Verstappen took his first win of the 2026 season, followed by Antonelli and Hamilton.