Lewis Hamilton has talked about the extraordinary formation-lap chaos at Sepang, where several Formula 1 cars were reduced to almost identical crawling speeds before his Ferrari lost power completely and stopped on the start-finish straight. What initially looked almost comical quickly became a serious problem as an FIA software bug forced another delay to the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
The disruption followed a thunderstorm and torrential rain that had already delayed proceedings by around 40 minutes at the Sepang International Circuit. When the field was finally sent out behind the Safety Car, the attempt to begin the race soon unravelled as multiple drivers encountered power-delivery problems.
Lewis Hamilton compares Sepang chaos to Formula 1 Lego racing
Max Verstappen had secured pole position, with Lewis Hamilton alongside him on the front row, but the Red Bull driver was the first to encounter trouble. Verstappen slowed dramatically and came close to stopping, creating a concertina effect as the cars behind were forced to reduce their speed in the difficult conditions.
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis later confirmed that a software bug was responsible. With the cars travelling unusually slowly because of the wet track, the problem prevented power from being redeployed correctly and caused several drivers to crawl around the circuit.
The unusual conditions followed an already disrupted build-up to the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, where heavy rain had completely altered the expected start procedure.
Hamilton later compared the sight of the cars moving at almost the same slow speed to Formula 1’s Lego racing demonstrations. The reference was to the Lego F1 cars used ahead of the 2025 Miami Grand Prix and the Lego go-karts that featured before this year’s British Grand Prix.
The mood changed rapidly, however, when the seven-time world champion lost all power. His Ferrari eventually ground to a halt on the start-finish straight, forcing him to stop the engine and restart the car while still on the circuit.
Lewis Hamilton forced to restart Ferrari on track
Hamilton explained afterwards that he had never previously experienced a situation in which he had needed to stop the car on track, shut down the engine and restart it in that manner. The incident prompted another lengthy delay while the FIA worked to resolve the software problem before allowing the Bahrain Grand Prix to continue.
More developments involving the seven-time world champion throughout his second Ferrari season can be followed in the dedicated Lewis Hamilton news section.
The unusual formation lap also left the other leading drivers confused. Kimi Antonelli, who went on to finish second for Mercedes, recalled that at one stage as many as five cars were running side by side on the straight because nobody fully understood what was happening.
Max Verstappen also described the confusion from his perspective. After initially triggering the problem himself, the Red Bull driver looked in his mirrors and saw the unusual situation developing behind. On a subsequent lap, he encountered another group of cars still crawling, including Lewis Hamilton struggling independently with his Ferrari.
FIA software bug forces emergency intervention at Sepang
Nikolas Tombazis attributed the incident to the complexity of the software systems being used in the wet conditions. The failure occurred while cars were travelling at particularly low speeds and ultimately required the FIA to make changes before the field could continue.
The episode highlighted how closely modern Formula 1 power-unit behaviour is linked to software and energy-management systems, particularly under unusual operating conditions. Further technical coverage of Ferrari’s SF-26 and related systems is available in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
Once the necessary update had been completed, the race was able to proceed. Verstappen and Hamilton eventually finished first and third respectively, with the chequered flag falling three hours and 20 minutes after the Grand Prix had originally been scheduled to begin.
By that stage, the drivers were able to look back at the formation-lap scenes with some humour, but Verstappen also stressed that such a situation was not desirable for Formula 1. The four-time world champion hoped the episode would provide lessons for the future, particularly given the complexity of the current power units and the amount of software involved in their operation.
For Hamilton, what began as an almost surreal procession at identical speed quickly became a genuine technical concern when his Ferrari lost power altogether. The incident ultimately did not prevent him from reaching the podium, but it added another extraordinary chapter to a Bahrain Grand Prix weekend shaped by rain, software problems and repeated delays. The remaining rounds of the season can be followed through the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
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