Hamilton bemused after glitch turns F1 into 'Lego race'
Formula 1 drivers Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton experienced a software glitch during the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that caused their cars to lose power. The drivers compared the resulting slow-speed performance to a 'Lego race' due to the bizarre nature of the malfunction.
Why it matters
Technical failures in high-stakes professional sports highlight the increasing reliance on complex software systems in modern automotive engineering.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton likened the effects of a software bug that affected multiple cars before the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to a "Lego race".
The problem led to several cars, including those of the two multiple world champions who were sharing the front row of the grid, not working in the wet conditions that preceded the race.
A tropical downpour delayed attempts to get the grand prix under way for the best part of an hour. And when the cars set off on formation laps behind a safety car to test the conditions, audiences were treated to the bizarre sight of many of them struggling to move.
A bug in the software that mandates how the engines' electrical power can be used in wet conditions had been triggered by a combination of low engine speeds, low grip and specific aspects of the circuit layout.
Also covering this story
20 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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