Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, the FIA has issued a statement following the events at Sepang. The opening phase of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia descended into chaos when half the field came to a standstill behind the safety car. The issue turned out to be a software bug linked to the 250kW restrictions imposed by the FIA for wet-weather races.
Nikolas Tombazis immediately provided an explanation to the media after the race, but added that the FIA would conduct a more in-depth investigation in the following days. That investigation has now been completed, with the FIA focusing on four crucial areas. First, the specific cause has been identified, with the FIA explaining: “The review concluded that some cars running on low engine RPM in certain circuit sectors where a 250kW power reduction was applied experienced a loss of power beyond the original intent and that could not be recovered in those sectors.” A software bug caused the electric motors to go into lock-down mode in the slowest parts of the circuit.
With no electric power available to offset the turbo lag, nothing happened when the drivers pressed the throttle pedal. The FIA subsequently intervened with a rapid software update, which was sent to all teams and manufacturers to install ahead of the restart. The emergency solution was to lift the restrictions associated with the 250kW limit in certain minisectors where the problem occurred.
The same temporary solution will be used in Singapore if similar weather conditions are expected, the FIA has confirmed. Additionally, a further update to the wet weather software will be released for the United States Grand Prix on October 25. Tombazis already confirmed on Sunday that the specific problem encountered in Malaysia would not happen again, although he could not guarantee that no new bugs would emerge with the extremely complex 2026 power units.
The FIA, together with the teams and Power Unit Manufacturers (PUMs), will continue to strengthen Power Unit software testing and verification capabilities, enhancing the overall validation process through independent assessment and collaborative feedback.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Résumé par HeadlinesBriefing