The software problem that affected several Formula 1 cars during the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, including Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari SF26, has created an unusual regulatory precedent ahead of Singapore, where wet conditions could bring the same system back into focus.
The issue emerged during the formation lap in Malaysia when a specific combination of conditions triggered a loss of power on several cars. The FIA eventually responded during the race suspension by distributing a revised software version to every team, removing the energy limit in the affected sectors before the Grand Prix could resume.
FIA software was changed while cars were under parc fermé
The intervention was particularly notable because the cars were already subject to parc fermé restrictions. Under normal circumstances, teams cannot make substantial changes between qualifying and the race, although certain operations can be authorised by the Race Director, particularly when weather conditions require them.
Sepang presented an unusual situation. During the stoppage caused by heavy rain, every team was required to install the updated FIA-provided software on its Power Units before racing could restart. The FIA later explained that the revised version removed the energy limit in the sectors affected by the problem.
The episode added another layer to an already extraordinary Bahrain Grand Prix weekend at Sepang, where heavy rain and difficult conditions played a major role throughout the event.
Nikolas Tombazis explains why the problem affected multiple teams
Nikolas Tombazis clarified that the system involved was FIA software rather than something belonging exclusively to a particular constructor or power-unit manufacturer. Its development involved the FIA, the standard ECU supplier, the teams and the engine manufacturers.
That distinction is important because the problem was therefore not confined to Ferrari or to Lewis Hamilton’s car. It was a common system issue capable of affecting different competitors under the same conditions.
Nikolas Tombazis also explained that teams had to complete the update during the interruption and that questions remained while the procedure was being carried out. The FIA therefore had to ensure every competitor had correctly installed the revised version before the race could continue.
For Ferrari, the incident became another unusual element of Lewis Hamilton’s Malaysian weekend, with further developments surrounding the seven-time world champion available in the Lewis Hamilton Ferrari section.
Sepang creates a precedent for FIA intervention during an event
The response effectively established an important precedent. When a fault involving common FIA software appeared during an event, the governing body distributed a new version across the entire grid and required teams to install it before the restart.
The intervention solved the immediate problem, but it also raises a wider regulatory question: what happens if similar abnormal behaviour appears again after cars have entered parc fermé?
That question becomes particularly relevant as Formula 1 moves directly to Singapore. With another potentially wet event ahead, attention will naturally return to how the common energy-management software behaves if conditions again trigger the same problem.
Sepang restart order also triggered controversy
Software was not the only issue to emerge from the race suspension. The grid order for the restart also generated debate after Race Direction took around 18 minutes to confirm the final lineup.
Lewis Hamilton ultimately regained the second position he had originally occupied before the disruption. Fernando Alonso was unhappy with the decision, arguing that while stopping the race was understandable if several stranded cars created a safety issue, he believed cars that had stopped should effectively have been considered out of the race.
The Malaysian incident therefore created two separate sporting questions at the same time: how Formula 1 should handle mandatory software intervention under parc fermé conditions, and how cars affected by that common technical problem should be treated when the race is restarted.
Could the same software problem return in Singapore?
Singapore now provides the next test. If wet-weather settings once again produce abnormal behaviour at Marina Bay, Sepang has already demonstrated one possible FIA response: modify the common software during the event and permit every team to install the update.
A report indicated that the FIA had not yet confirmed whether its full review of the Sepang incident would be completed before the Singapore Grand Prix. That leaves the Malaysian procedure as the most relevant precedent if similar circumstances develop again.
The wider context of the next race can be followed through the 2026 Formula 1 calendar, while the technical implications for Ferrari and the rest of the grid remain especially significant if rain returns.
Sepang showed that an unusual common-software failure can force Formula 1 to make changes even after parc fermé has begun. If Singapore produces another wet weekend, the key question will be whether the same solution is required again — and whether the FIA would follow the procedure established in Malaysia.
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