Charles Leclerc discusses how the turmoil during the Bahrain GP has heightened F1 drivers' concerns.

It was hardly shocking to witness our favorite drivers expressing their discontent regarding the events leading up to the Bahrain Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc remarked that this incident exemplifies the concerns he and his fellow competitors have regarding the current regulatory cars.

What began as a damp formation lap quickly descended into turmoil as software malfunctions led to power loss in several vehicles. Numerous cars became expensive liabilities as their drivers struggled with an unresponsive throttle.

After the race in Malaysia, the Monegasque driver elaborated on the situation from the cockpit of the #16 Ferrari.

"Very tricky, very unusual," he relayed to reporters. "Initially, I thought the safety car had turned off the lights. I couldn't spot the safety car. I was too distant and there was too much spray, so I assumed the safety car had departed and Max was taking the opportunity to heat up his tires. At that moment, I was like, 'Alright, fine,' and then they informed me over the radio, 'we believe Max has an issue.' I was like, okay.

"Then Max took off, and Lewis was slow. I hesitated, and then at one moment I thought, 'Alright, I'm probably just going to go.' When I pressed the throttle, I encountered exactly the same issue and realized everyone was facing the same predicament. We were stuck at around 20 kph.

"So, I don't know. It's a bit unsettling to observe that in a Formula 1 car."

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

The explanation became apparent when FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis clarified that a "bug hindered the power from being redeployed and caused the cars to fail to restart" when they had slowed down. He elaborated: "It was primarily in certain sectors where full power was diminished. The triggering factor was some cars reaching an exceptionally low speed. I can't pinpoint the exact speed, but as some cars hit this very low speed, they somehow entered a loop that prevented them from re-accelerating. Consequently, it appeared as though they had come to a halt."

Leclerc's Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton, for instance, had to completely shut off his engine and restart it just to get back on the move.

Charles Leclerc's primary concern arises from this lack of control

The manner in which the 2026 regulation powertrains manage power output has been a troubling issue for many drivers since the onset, even before the season commenced. The drivers' inability to control their vehicles on Sunday has only underscored these prevailing sentiments.

"I think that's somewhat our concern with these cars, not to that extreme, of course, this was an issue, but whatever you have when exiting the corner, sometimes you may have 100 horsepower more, or 100 horsepower less. You aren’t entirely in command of the power at your disposal. And with visibility like that at the race's start, significant accidents can occur because of that. So, it's certainly not the best cars to drive under these conditions."