Halis Sunnetci
08 October 2026•Update: 08 October 2026
Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, said Thursday that a software bug caused several cars to lose power during formation laps of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, delaying the race start.
The investigation found that some cars running at low engine speeds experienced excessive power losses in sections of the Sepang circuit where a 250-kilowatt power reduction was applied under wet-weather settings.
The FIA said the temporary software fix introduced at Sepang would be used again at the Singapore Grand Prix if similar weather conditions were expected.
A further update to the wet-weather software is scheduled for the US Grand Prix on Oct. 25.
Sunday's race was delayed after several cars experienced power problems during two formation laps, prompting officials to suspend the start procedure.
According to the FIA's Thursday statement, its technical team identified the cause within five minutes of Sunday's race suspension and released revised software configurations.
The changes allowed teams to complete installation before the race resumed, the FIA said.
“Their collective efforts enabled the issue to be identified, addressed and resolved, allowing the race to proceed safely,” the FIA said, thanking teams, power unit manufacturers and its technical staff.
