Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, two of the biggest names in F1, just likened the chaotic start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to a “Lego race” after a bizarre software bug crippled multiple cars right before the green flag. It was a wild scene, with both multiple world champions sharing the front row and still getting caught in the mess.
F1 Cars Crawling? What Even Happened?!
Seriously, what even was that? The whole thing kicked off after a tropical downpour delayed attempts to get the grand prix started for nearly an hour. When the cars finally set off on formation laps behind a safety car to test the conditions, audiences were treated to the most insane sight: a bunch of F1 machines, the pinnacles of engineering, struggling just to move. Verstappen was first to trigger the problem and looked in his mirror like, “Wait, are they waiting for me or what’s going on…?” He called it a “Lego race,” referencing some battery-powered Lego F1 cars from a show run earlier this year.
Hamilton, who finished third, chimed in right beside Verstappen after the race, saying they had the “same speed.” He actually had to stop his car on track, turn it off, and restart it. He admitted he’d “never done that before,” which tells you everything about how bizarre this was. Verstappen added it was “insane. Like, it’s the Lego power. At some point we were five-wide on the straight because we couldn’t understand what was going on.” He saw “eight other cars crawling still” and Hamilton by himself crawling. That’s just not what anyone wants for the sport, right?
Engines Too Complicated? The FIA Is On It.
So what was the actual problem? Turns out, it was a bug in the software that dictates how the engines’ electrical power gets used in wet conditions. It got triggered by a combo of low engine speeds, low grip, and specific aspects of the circuit layout. George Russell, who retired from the race with an engine failure, nailed it when he said, “It didn’t feel very F1.”
Nikolas Tombazis, the single-seater director for the FIA, confirmed there will be a full investigation. He explained that while the software had been tested, it had not been tested in these specific conditions, largely because there has been so little running in the wet this year. Tombazis admitted, “Cars are complicated. We would all like it to be simpler, but when you have electrical energy and combustion energy all working together, and obviously when you want to ensure that there’s sporting fairness between the teams, that is complicated.” He said this specific problem won’t happen again, but couldn’t guarantee *a* problem wouldn’t, which is a bit concerning, but hey, at least they’re owning it.
This isn’t even the first issue with these incredibly complex hybrid engines introduced this year. The 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power means the engines are “energy starved” and can’t deploy full power all the time. That has led to “counter-intuitive driving” complaints all season, and the off-track talk has been dominated by this. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella summed it up, saying, “What happened at the start obviously is not idea.” The rules are actually changing next year to try and fix this energy split.
Despite the absolute chaos, Max Verstappen still pulled off a dominant win, his first victory of the year, with Lewis Hamilton grabbing a solid third place. This whole mess just puts a spotlight on how much F1 engineers and the FIA are wrestling with these insanely complex hybrid engines. The talk about future rule changes? It’s not just chatter, it’s essential for the sport’s credibility. We’ll see if the FIA can truly iron out these criticalities before the next wild moment hits the grid.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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