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KUALA LUMPUR - The International Automobile Federation (FIA) will conduct a comprehensive review of the Formula 1 (F1) power loss issue that disrupted the formation lap of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix (GP) in Malaysia 2026 at the Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, yesterday.
According to a statement from FIA, said the issue was not detected during testing or the laps to the grid.
"On 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's sector configuration led to an unintended loss of power for a number of cars.
"As 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,” it said.
After the formation lap got underway, the race was immediately red-flagged and the starting procedure suspended in accordance with the FIA regulations, prompting all drivers to return to the pits.
Among the drivers affected by the aforementioned issue on the formation lap were Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon of Haas F1 Team.
The race, on the other hand, which was supposed to start at 3 pm was delayed for 93-minutes due to rain and standing water on the iconic circuit.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen won the Bahrain GP in Malaysia 2026 and claimed his maiden victory of the season.
Current drivers’ standings leader and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team driver Kimi Antonelli took second place while Hamilton completed the podium finish in third spot.
In July, Formula 1 confirmed Malaysia as the host of the Gulf Air Bahrain GP from Oct 2 to 4 following an agreement involving Formula 1, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain.
The agreement kept the Bahrain GP on the 2026 F1 calendar after the race was cancelled earlier in the season due to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.
SIC hosted the Malaysian GP from 1999 until 2017. - BERNAMA
