Powerless F1 drivers frustrated by Bahrain F1 software glitch
Formula 1 drivers expressed frustration after a software glitch in the 2026-generation cars caused a 50-minute delay at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The issue, triggered by a wet-weather mode in the power unit controller, forced the FIA to issue an emergency software patch during a red flag period.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the growing tension between traditional racing and the increasing reliance on complex, potentially unreliable electronic systems in modern motorsport.
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.
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