Leading F1 drivers are despairing at power unit software glitches that derailed the start of the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, with Lando Norris calling the electronic glitches "horrible" and further proof that F1 should move away from hybrids. The start at a wet Sepang circuit was aborted after a large number of cars suffered crippling software issues.
With the event being the first wet weather race contested by the 2026 generation of cars, a bug in the software when drivers were driving at very low speeds, triggered by the power unit controller's wet weather mode, left drivers stuck into idle mode at various points of the two planned formation laps. It took a 50-minute delay for the race to start.
Ferrari-powered Cadillac's Sergio Perez called the incident "totally unacceptable for the sport," while Haas driver Oliver Bearman said it was "scary" for his throttle pedal being cut off. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso felt there was now "too much technology" involved. Race winner Max Verstappen, whose slow getaway helped trigger the bug, likened the chaos to the Lego go-kart race in Silverstone.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing