Bernie Collins has questioned the FIA’s decision to restore Lewis Hamilton to second place on the grid after extraordinary software problems disrupted the formation lap for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang. The former Formula 1 strategist believes the written start-procedure regulations indicated that drivers entering the pit lane should instead have been ordered according to the sequence in which they arrived.
Lewis Hamilton was among several drivers caught by the technical problems after a thunderstorm had already delayed the start by around 40 minutes and left large amounts of standing water on the Malaysian circuit. The unusual episode eventually forced the FIA to suspend the procedure entirely before returning the field to its original grid order.
Lewis Hamilton loses ground amid Sepang software chaos
When the cars were finally sent out, polesitter Max Verstappen and front-row rival Lewis Hamilton both slowed dramatically. Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman and Valtteri Bottas also encountered problems as multiple cars struggled during the formation lap.
The disruption was severe enough for several drivers to stop on the back straight, throwing the running order into confusion. Lewis Hamilton initially appeared to have suffered the biggest sporting consequence because he dropped towards the rear of the field. The wider circumstances surrounding the Ferrari driver’s Sepang software problem and suspended start procedure had already turned the pre-race sequence into one of the most unusual moments of the weekend.
Race Control ultimately suspended the start procedure and restored the original order, meaning Lewis Hamilton regained the second-place grid position he had earned in qualifying.
Bernie Collins points to FIA start-procedure regulation
Speaking as a Sky Sports pundit, Bernie Collins argued that the regulations suggested a different outcome. In her interpretation, Lewis Hamilton should have forfeited second place because the rule governing a suspended start procedure states that cars entering the pit lane should restart according to the order in which they entered it.
Collins acknowledged that restoring the original grid made sense given the exceptional level of confusion, but stressed that the relevant regulation was written clearly. She noted that the circumstances were considerably more chaotic than the type of scenario for which the rule appeared to have been designed, yet maintained that the wording still existed and was applicable.
That created a potential source of frustration for competitors who had navigated the formation lap successfully, whether through better management of their cars, a stronger understanding of the engine situation or simply good fortune. Collins suggested those teams could feel disadvantaged by losing positions they had gained before the procedure was suspended, with pit walls likely to raise competing arguments with Race Control.
First wet running exposes mandatory software complication
The Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang marked the first rain-affected session of the season, meaning teams had not previously been able to use the mandatory wet-weather operating modes in competitive conditions. Those settings limit energy deployment for safety reasons and became central to the software problems experienced during the formation lap.
The technical disruption affected several teams rather than Lewis Hamilton alone, adding another layer of complexity to the FIA’s decision over how to rebuild the starting order. Further details on the incident and the response can be found in the explanation of the Sepang software chaos and emergency update.
Mercedes deputy team boss Bradley Lord subsequently confirmed to Sky Sports that the FIA issued updated software for teams to upload to their cars. The intervention came after the unusual formation-lap problems had already forced the original start procedure to be abandoned.
For Lewis Hamilton, the decision meant retaining the front-row position secured in qualifying despite initially falling down the order during the disrupted formation lap. More coverage of the seven-time world champion’s Ferrari season is available in the dedicated Lewis Hamilton news section.
The episode therefore raised two separate questions at Sepang: why the software problems occurred in the first place, and whether the FIA was right to prioritise restoring the original grid over applying the start-procedure rule highlighted by Bernie Collins.
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