David Croft has criticised the FIA for the chaotic formation lap scenes at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, describing a software glitch that saw several drivers slowing to a crawl or stopping completely as a "farce".
F1 and the FIA have new technical regulations this year which saw the introduction of a new power unit which is almost 50 per cent electric. Sepang saw the first wet conditions of the season, and the FIA later confirmed that a combination of low engine speeds, low grip, wet-weather energy-management settings and the configuration of the circuit had caused an unintended loss of power.
Speaking on the F1 Show podcast, Sky Sports F1 commentator Croft questioned why such a scenario had not been simulated before the season began. "We had a shakedown in Barcelona and six days of testing in Bahrain before the season started. Why on earth were situations like this not tried out before we went racing?" he said.
"This falls on the FIA. I'm sorry, but you are the governing body. You are supposed to have the upper hand when it comes to these rules and regulations, the directives, the power units and everything. You weren't on top of things when it came to that race, and it was a farce." The FIA said its emergency software fix took around 20 minutes to issue and install.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing