The FIA has explained the “unprecedented” glitch behind the chaotic start to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Heavy rain at Sepang preceded several cars almost grinding to a halt as drivers left the pit lane, including those of race leader Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Drivers in the midfield also encountered problems.
The start procedure was abandoned. The Grand Prix eventually got under way in the original grid order after a delay of almost an hour. The FIA attributed the loss of power to a combination of low engine speeds, reduced grip, wet-weather energy-management settings and the layout of Sepang’s circuit sectors.
During the delay caused by heavy rain, the FIA Technical Department removed the energy limit in the affected sectors through a software update distributed to all competitors. This allowed teams to adjust their power units before the start. The federation said the issue had not been detected in testing or on the laps to the grid. It will conduct a full review with the teams and power-unit manufacturers.
Sky Sports F1’s Anthony Davidson said the cars’ slow speed in the rain as they left the pit lane had caused the stoppages. He summed up the mechanism: “Basically, if you run the engines too slowly, the turbo spools down because we don’t have the MGU-H anymore.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc said he initially thought the Safety Car had switched off its lights. Verstappen joked that the scene was “like the Lego race”, then said: “It was insane. Like, it’s the Lego power!” He also said “that’s not what you want for the sport”. Hamilton recounted having to stop his car and engine before restarting them, adding: “I’ve never done that before.” He hopes “there is a lesson learned”.
The incident comes as Formula 1 and the FIA apply new technical regulations this year, including a power unit that is almost 50 per cent electric. The next stop announced is Singapore for the season’s final Sprint weekend, with track action beginning on Friday.
Formula 1After finishing fifth, Isack Hadjar criticised a difficult race in his Red Bull, including a lack of battery in the closing laps. He said the problem was on the chassis side, not with the power unit.
Formula 1After a delay of one hour and 33 minutes, McLaren and Ferrari chose dry-weather tyres even though intermediates appeared better suited to the opening laps. Lando Norris acknowledged that his team’s gamble did not work.
Formula 1Starting seventh at Sepang, Russell surged to second before a power-unit failure cost him a podium. “You’ve almost got to laugh,” he said, as the gap to his championship rival widened.
Formula 1Toto Wolff said he was “massively annoyed” and “not in a happy place” after George Russell retired from the Bahrain Grand Prix. A power unit failure forced the Briton to pull over while he appeared on course for a podium.
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