{"id":3421,"date":"2026-10-04T11:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=3421"},"modified":"2026-10-04T11:16:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:16:22","slug":"fia-explains-formation-lap-power-failures-at-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/fia-explains-formation-lap-power-failures-at-bahrain-gp-in-malaysia\/","title":{"rendered":"FIA explains formation-lap power failures at Bahrain GP in Malaysia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The FIA identified the combination of factors behind the formation-lap power failures at Sepang.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A software update removed the energy limit constraint in the affected sectors before the race.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The problem had escaped detection during testing and the laps to the grid.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The FIA confirmed that the power failures which disrupted the Bahrain Grand Prix\u2019s starting procedure at Sepang had not been detected during testing or the laps to the grid.<\/strong> Multiple cars lost power during the initial formation lap on Sunday, forcing another interruption after heavy rain had already delayed the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The governing body identified four interacting factors: <strong>low engine speed, low grip, wet-weather energy management settings and the circuit\u2019s sector configuration<\/strong>. Its technical department subsequently distributed a software update to allow teams to address the problem before the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn the formation lap ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, an unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low-grip conditions, wet-weather energy management settings and the Sepang circuit\u2019s sector configuration led to an unintended loss of power for a number of cars,\u201d the FIA said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Max Verstappen reported difficulty accelerating, while Lewis Hamilton stopped on the main straight after reporting that pressing the throttle produced no response. Other drivers also encountered difficulties before race control suspended the procedure and sent the field back to the pits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Software update removed an energy limit constraint<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The immediate intervention involved removing the energy limit constraint in the affected sectors.<\/strong> The FIA made an updated software release available to all competitors during the delay, enabling teams to change their power unit settings before racing began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a result, the FIA Technical Department removed the energy limit constraint in the affected sectors through an updated software release distributed to all competitors during the race delay caused by heavy rain enabling teams to make the necessary changes to the Power Unit before the start of the race,\u201d the statement continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The explanation places energy management at the centre of the incident, alongside the particular conditions encountered during the formation lap. The FIA did not identify a single manufacturer as responsible or provide a car-by-car account of the failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/verstappen-ends-win-drought-in-chaotic-sepang-race-as-hamilton-recovers-to-podium\/\">full Sepang race report and results<\/a> detail how the event eventually resumed, with Verstappen winning ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Hamilton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FIA announces review with teams and manufacturers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The FIA will now examine the issue alongside the teams and power unit manufacturers.<\/strong> The review follows a problem that emerged during the formation procedure despite the cars having already completed testing and their journeys to the grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis issue had not been detected by the FIA or the teams during testing or during the laps to the grid. The FIA, together with the teams and Power Unit manufacturers, will undertake a full review of the issue,\u201d it concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The statement establishes the combination of circumstances behind the unintended power loss and the corrective action taken before the race. It does not specify when the full review will be completed or whether further changes will follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the interrupted start, Verstappen secured his first victory of 2026 and the first Grand Prix win for Red Bull Ford Powertrains. Antonelli\u2019s second place extended his championship advantage over George Russell to <strong>84 points<\/strong>, following his teammate\u2019s late retirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/\">Formula 1<\/a> returns from 9\u201311 October for the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will cover all the action throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">F1 today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did F1 cars lose power before the Bahrain GP in Malaysia?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FIA identified a combination of low engine speed, low grip, wet-weather energy management settings and Sepang\u2019s sector configuration. It distributed a software update before the race and announced a full review with teams and power unit manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can Kimi Antonelli win the F1 championship in Singapore?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Antonelli leads George Russell by <strong>84 points<\/strong>, but even a Singapore Sprint and Grand Prix double would not secure the title. <strong>Austin on 25 October is his earliest possible opportunity<\/strong>, depending on his results and those of the remaining contenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is the next F1 race, and is Singapore a Sprint weekend?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next race is the <strong>Singapore Grand Prix on 11 October<\/strong>, with track activity beginning on Friday, 9 October. It is a <strong>Sprint weekend<\/strong>: Sprint qualifying takes place on Friday, followed by the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did F1 cars lose power during the Sepang formation lap?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FIA identified an unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low grip, wet-weather energy management settings and Sepang\u2019s sector configuration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An unexpected combination of engine speed, grip and energy management settings caused multiple cars to lose power, prompting a software intervention before the race.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020317165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Bahrain GP in Malaysia","42wp_featured_image_credits":"AFP","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":7,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[630,717,57,113],"42wp_author":[7],"class_list":["post-3421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-bahrain-grand-prix-in-malaysia","tag-f1-power-units","tag-fia","tag-sepang","42wp_author-victor-martins"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3421"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3422,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3421\/revisions\/3422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020317165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3421"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}