Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia exposed once again the less flattering side of F1’s increasingly complex machinery, with drivers branding the software chaos at Sepang “horrible” and “totally unacceptable” after multiple electronic glitches delayed the start of the race.
The scene was quite extraordinary: cars that should have been preparing for the start of a Grand Prix were barely moving, some effectively trapped in an electronic loop as the wet-weather power management system struggled to cope with the unusually low speeds.
The FIA was eventually forced to intervene, coding and distributing an emergency software update during the red-flag delay to remove the power limitation in the affected sectors.
The problem was eventually overcome and the race itself delivered plenty of entertainment, but the damage to F1's technological credibility had already been done.
For several drivers, the episode was particularly uncomfortable because it exposed just how much control the sophisticated electronics now exert over the cars.
Norris sees fresh evidence against F1's hybrid direction
Lando Norris was among the most outspoken critics, arguing that the bizarre incident was another indication that F1 may have taken its technological ambitions too far.
"It's just horrible. I don't know, it just proves that we shouldn't have any of that stuff, the electronic side," commented Norris, whose McLaren is powered by Mercedes.
The reigning world champion was far from alone in questioning the spectacle.
Oscar Piastri was baffled that a Formula 1 race had effectively been held hostage by software before it had even started.
"I've never seen an F1 race delayed by a bug. That was a new one," the Aussie added facetiously.
"I got stuck for about a second. When the turbo doesn't work on these things, you might as well push the car instead of using an engine. It was quite bizarre. It wasn't a great look, but I think it would be unfair to point the finger before there's an explanation."
'Totally unacceptable' verdict from Perez
Sergio Perez was considerably less forgiving. The Cadillac driver was among those affected by the issue and compared the experience to something far removed from the cutting edge of Formula 1 machinery.
"It felt like you were in a rental kart and you ran out of time," the Mexican explained. "You were putting your foot down and accelerating and nothing was coming.
"I'm sure we will learn from it as a sport. But what happened today is totally unacceptable for the sport."
For Haas driver Oliver Bearman, however, the episode was more than merely embarrassing. Having his throttle response effectively disappear was an unsettling experience because the failure was being dictated by a system beyond his control.
"I've never seen anything like that. I was shocked," he said.
"I didn't even know that the FIA could control our throttle pedal. That was quite scary, actually. My throttle pedal stopped working, but it looks like everybody stopped working as well. The engine was just idling."
Alonso questions whether F1 has gone too far
Fernando Alonso has never been shy about questioning where Formula 1 is heading, and the Sepang drama only strengthened his concerns about the increasing electronic complexity of the cars.
The Aston Martin veteran also questioned whether the technology that engineers value so highly is actually adding anything for the people watching from the grandstands or at home.
Alonso said there was now "too much technology" involved in the series and felt "the spectators don’t really appreciate it" either.
That criticism strikes at one of the central tensions surrounding the 2026 regulations.
The new generation of cars places an unprecedented emphasis on electrical energy management, with drivers and engineers constantly balancing deployment, harvesting and efficiency.
At Sepang, that complexity briefly became the story itself.
Verstappen: 'That's not what you want for the sport'
Sunday’s winner, Max Verstappen, was the first driver to encounter the problem and initially appeared to believe the rest of the field was simply struggling to keep up with him.
Instead, he soon realised something much stranger was unfolding behind him.
"That’s the problem that we have," the Dutchman said. "These engines are so complicated and a lot of software is implemented. I triggered it first and then I looked in my mirror and I was like: 'Wait, are they waiting for me or what’s going on...?'
"It was like the Lego race, the same speed. At some point we were five-wide on the straight because we couldn’t understand what was going on. Then we did a lap and then I saw eight other cars crawling still.
"What can you say? I mean, that’s not what you want for the sport, right?"
Read also: FIA explains bizarre power losses that delayed Bahrain GP startThe irony was not lost on the Red Bull charger. The man who ultimately mastered the chaos to claim his first victory of the 2026 season had helped trigger the extraordinary sequence that nearly prevented the race from getting started in the first place.
The FIA's emergency intervention ultimately rescued the event, and the wet-weather race that followed proved spectacular.
But for a championship increasingly dependent on software and electrical management, Sepang delivered an uncomfortable reminder: when the electronics get it wrong, even Formula 1's most sophisticated machinery can suddenly look remarkably helpless.
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