Clarified: The underlying issues surrounding the FIA software glitch that led to turmoil in Malaysia's F1 race.

The commencement of the inaugural wet-weather race of the 2026 Formula 1 season spiraled into disarray. Max Verstappen, who was in the lead, was the first to experience a power failure while moving slowly during the formation laps behind the safety car, followed by Lewis Hamilton coming to a halt, with several other vehicles soon doing the same.

Race control had no choice but to halt the race with a red flag, leading to a 40-minute delay before fans finally witnessed some F1 action.

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis informed the media, including Motorsport.com, that a glitch in the software provided by the FIA, which had been developed in collaboration with the teams over several years, was the root cause of the turmoil.

“We didn’t manage to thoroughly test the software as much as we had hoped due to limited wet running this year. A series of circumstances triggered this glitch,” Tombazis explained during an additional media session following the race.

“Essentially, on the formation lap, certain cars drove very slowly, nearly halting completely. This created a concertina effect among the vehicles, causing some to almost stop altogether. That glitch prevented power from being redeployed and for the cars to resume moving.”

This is closely linked to the reduction of electrical power to 250kW in wet conditions.

While the necessary software was tested by various teams, including Red Bull and Racing Bulls, it was not assessed in conditions behind the safety car – and thus not at these significantly low speeds.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing, Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

At the Sepang International Circuit, those low speeds were encountered in certain minisectors, leading to the ensuing consequences.

“It was predominantly in specific sectors where full power was curtailed. I’m not sure exactly what speed that was, but as some cars reached these very slow speeds, they somehow entered a loop, preventing them from re-accelerating and appearing to stop,” he added.

This left drivers feeling as if the throttle pedal had ceased to respond, something Oliver Bearman expressed to the media with astonishment.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that. I was taken aback that… I had no idea the FIA could control our throttle pedal. It was quite unsettling, really,” the Haas driver remarked.

“My throttle pedal just stopped functioning. It was as if it was disconnected, and the engine was merely idling. It was so bizarre, I mean, shocking.”

A key question arises regarding why the internal combustion engine was also impacted, as it should not occur at such low speeds. The FIA has yet to provide a formal answer to this query, but the initial theory is that the glitch redirected all throttle input towards recharging the MGU-K, which clarifies why drivers felt no response from the throttle pedal at all.

Initially, it seemed that Mercedes-powered cars were less impacted by the issue compared to other manufacturers, yet Tombazis clarified that there was no technical reason for that. It was merely related to the speeds attained in particular minisectors.

Nikolas Tombazis, FIA

“Not all vehicles reached the same low speeds during the formation lap. There was a concertina effect at play. Max slowed down significantly at the front, and then others braked harder, being caught off guard. This led to some cars experiencing the issue while others did not.”

How the FIA Provided F1 Teams with an Emergency Solution

The FIA needed to act swiftly to get the race near Kuala Lumpur underway, as Tombazis explained when questioned by Motorsport.com.

“Fortunately, our team quickly grasped the issue. I believe the update was executed very competently, albeit in a rush. The priority was to resume the race as quickly as possible, so I think the response time was quite prompt,” he stated.

“It wasn’t a flawless job and, clearly, we hadn’t tested the updates, but I consider it was the right way to handle such a situation.”

In essence, the update involved the FIA removing the energy limit constraint – the restrictions associated with the 250kW limit – for the minisectors where the low speeds had triggered the glitch. Logically, this isn’t a foolproof solution for the future, but it served as an urgent measure to ensure the race could proceed.

“In some sectors, some of these power reductions were overridden,” Tombazis confirmed. “Clearly, we didn’t have five days to perform the updates. We only had a few minutes, but thankfully, I think we managed to do it without compromising safety, racing, or fairness.”