The failure in the F1 software that paralyzed the Bahrain GP: “A combination of circumstances occurred that caused this failure to be activated”
An unprecedented digital blackout transformed the start of the Grand Prix of Bahrain (disputed in Malaysia) in one of the most chaotic episodes in the recent history of Formula 1.
What began as a delay due to the intense tropical storm on the asphalt of Sepangled to an unusual red flag when an unforeseen failure in the software of the new 2026 power units.
The engines of several cars ‘froze’ in the middle of a formation lap. The crisis forced the FIA to stop activity and distribute an emergency computer update in the pit lane to restart the systems, marking a day of technical uncertainty.
Communiqué of the FIA: “On the training lap prior to the GP Bahrain in Malaysiaan unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low grip conditions, wet power management settings and circuit sector configuration. Sepang caused an unexpected loss of power in several cars.”
Nikolas Tombazisresponsible for single-seaters of the FIAclarified that the unexpected reaction of the power units to driving so slowly took them by surprise, since F1 had not competed in real rain all season. This forced a software update, which caused the 53-minute delay in the resumption of the race. These statements go hand in hand with the following part of the statement released by the FIA hours later:
DAZN had the opportunity to review the incident after the race:
As a result, the FIA technical department removed the power limit restriction in the affected sectors through a software update distributed to all competitors during the race delay caused by heavy rain, allowing the teams to make the necessary changes to the power unit before the start of the race.
“Basically, on the formation lap, some cars were driving very slowly, almost to a stop. There was a kind of accordion effect between the cars, and some of them almost came to a complete stop. And that failure prevented the power from being restored and the cars from starting again.
FIA single-seater manager
Finally, the GP resumed without major problems and the show was served. Where this F1 is going, that is another topic.
