# FIA Software Bug Causes F1 Chaos in Malaysia

> FIA software bug at Sepang led to cars stalling during formation laps, forcing a 40-minute race delay.
- Title: FIA Software Bug Causes F1 Chaos in Malaysia · Motorsport
- Summary: FIA software bug at Sepang led to cars stalling during formation laps, forcing a 40-minute race delay. FIA's software bug caused cars to stall at low speeds…
- Keywords: fia, malaysia, sepang, software bug, formation laps, race delay, max verstappen, george russell, red bull racing, mercedes, sports, Software
- Source: Motorsport — https://motorsport.com/f1/news/explained-what-was-really-going-on-with-the-fia-software-bug-causing-f1-chaos-in-malaysia/10861977
- Author: Ronald Vording
- Published: 2026-10-04T13:48:52+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: fia, f1, malaysia, sepang, software bug, formation laps, race delay, max verstappen, george russell, red bull racing, mercedes, sports
## FIA software bug at Sepang
Extremely low speeds behind the safety car triggered an unexpected problem with the FIA software at Sepang.
## Race chaos during formation laps
Leader Max Verstappen suffered power loss while driving slowly during formation laps behind the safety car.
## FIA director explains bug
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis confirmed a software bug caused all the chaos during formation laps.
## Cars stalled due to bug
The bug prevented power redeployment and caused cars to almost stop completely during formation laps.
## Throttle pedal malfunction
Drivers reported throttle pedal stopped working, with engines idling and no acceleration response.
## FIA emergency fix
FIA lifted energy limit constraints for minisectors where low speeds triggered the bug.
## Race delay consequences
Race control stopped the race with a red flag, causing a 40-minute delay before fans saw F1 action.
## Why bug occurred
Cars reached extremely low speeds in minisectors, which the software wasn't designed to handle.
## FIA's response
FIA implemented an emergency software update to override power reductions in affected minisectors.
## Race restart
Teams installed updated software, causing a 40-minute delay before the race restarted.
## Key takeaway

FIA's software bug caused cars to stall at low speeds during formation laps, triggering a 40-minute race delay in Malaysia.