From Motorsport · Filip Cleeren · · 1m 10s
F1 Bahrain GP Chaos
Car trouble sparks red flag at Malaysia's first wet F1 race under 2026 rules.
In brief
Car trouble sparks red flag at Malaysia's first wet F1 race under 2026 rules. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen faced power unit gremlins during wet formation laps at Malaysia's Bahrain Grand Prix, prompting a red flag and suspended start. Originally reported by Motorsport.
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
The Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia descends into chaos as car trouble prompts red flag.
Wet Formation Laps
After a heavy tropical thunderstorm, the action at Malaysian Sepang was set to get underway with a number of laps behind the safety car followed by a standing start.
Power Unit Gremlins
Suspected software-related power unit gremlins affected multiple cars including Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.
Hamilton's Struggle
Lewis Hamilton reported lack of acceleration on his Ferrari before crawling through the first formation lap as the rest of the field passed him.
Red Flag Activated
Race control suspended the start procedure after multiple cars struggled with power unit gremlins, throwing a red flag.
Grid Reversion
With the grid mixed up as cars streamed into pitlane, race control will revert to original grid positions when running resumes.
The main idea
Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen faced power unit gremlins during wet formation laps at Malaysia's Bahrain Grand Prix, prompting a red flag and suspended start.
