Was it 'unfair' not to penalise stricken F1 cars in Malaysia?
Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso has criticized the decision to restart the Malaysian Grand Prix after several cars suffered technical failures. He argued that the race should not have been stopped, as similar mechanical issues for his own team have not previously triggered a race stoppage.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing debates regarding race control consistency and safety protocols in professional motorsport.
Formula 1 Was it 'unfair' not to penalise stricken F1 cars in Malaysia? Josh Suttill, Jon Noble 04 Oct 2026 — 4 min read Fernando Alonso believes it was unfair that the stricken cars were allowed to start Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, as "they never stopped a race" for an Aston Martin grinding to a halt this year.
There was chaos at the attempted start of F1's first race in Malaysia in nine years as several cars encountered issues, crawling or coming to a halt, for what's now been diagnosed as a "software bug" with the 2026 power units.
But it did not affect Alonso's Aston Martin Honda. He'd overtaken the ailing Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton and would have taken the restart 11th, on the fringes of the points.
Also covering this story
22 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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