From Motorsport · Alex Harrington · · 1m
Charles Leclerc on F1 software chaos
Bahrain GP software issues highlight F1 drivers' power control fears.
In brief
Bahrain GP software issues highlight F1 drivers' power control fears. Charles Leclerc says 2026 F1 cars lack driver control due to software bugs causing power loss during races. Originally reported by Motorsport.
Bahrain GP software chaos
Charles Leclerc says the Bahrain Grand Prix software issues highlighted a wider concern with F1’s 2026 cars.
“very tricky, very strange”
Cars lost power during race
Several cars lost power as software issues caused throttle pedals to become unresponsive.
“we think max has a problem”
FIA explains power issue
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said a bug prevented power redeployment when cars slowed down.
“it was mainly in some sectors the full power is reduced”
Lewis Hamilton affected
Lewis Hamilton had to shut his engine off and restart it to regain movement.
“we think max has a problem”
Driver power control worries
Leclerc says 2026 cars lack driver control with power fluctuations of 100 horsepower.
“you can have 100 horsepower more, 100 horsepower less”
No quick fix expected
Leclerc says the software issues are results of long-term decisions with no short-term solutions.
“i don't think there's any short-term solutions to these problems”
At a glance
Charles Leclerc says 2026 F1 cars lack driver control due to software bugs causing power loss during races.
