F1 Cars Hit by Sudden Power Loss at Sepang After Safety Software Bug Triggers Engine Shutdowns
The FIA will review power-management software after multiple cars struggled in wet start conditions, with Nikolas Tombazis saying the system was not tested in those circumstances.
- On Sunday, a software bug in F1's hybrid engines caused multiple cars to stall during formation laps, forcing the FIA to delay the race 40 minutes to implement an emergency update.
- FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis attributed the failure to untested conditions, as low engine speeds and wet track grip triggered the software algorithms managing the complex hybrid engines.
- During formation laps, drivers likened the bizarre spectacle to a 'Lego race' as cars crawled struggling to maintain 50 km/h. Max Verstappen said, 'These engines are so complicated and a lot of software is implemented.'
- Teams implemented a 'cobbled up, hurried solution' software update to resume racing, which Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord said was necessary to avoid confusing global audiences.
- Proposals to shift the 50-50 engine split toward conventional combustion power by 2028 may accelerate following the incident. The FIA plans a full debrief to identify criticalities and prevent recurrence.
13 Articles
13 Articles
F1 Cars Hit by Sudden Power Loss at Sepang After Safety Software Bug Triggers Engine Shutdowns
Several Formula One cars lost electrical power during wet-weather formation laps at Sepang after a software bug disrupted energy deployment, forcing the FIA to issue an emergency update.
There could have been no race. Neither Max Verstappen's brilliant victory, nor Fernando Alonso's epic comeback, nor chaos in the rain. Nothing at all. Formula 1 had a few minutes of international ridicule when several of his cars stood, stiff, without battery... before the whole planet. The exit was aborted and the race began an hour and a half afternoon. The scandal could have been more bleeding and humiliating.Least the teams took twenty minut…
The software mess at Sepang showed that while the FIA demands absolute control, one of its own errors is enough to paralyze the cars and disgrace the sport.
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