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Mercedes deputy team principal calls for simpler F1 regulations after Sepang start disruption

GPBeat reports that Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord wants F1 to favour simpler future regulations after the formation-lap stoppages at the 4 October Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said a software bug prevented power from being redeployed when cars ran at very low speed.

GPBeat · Newsroom06 Oct 2026, 03:29 · 1 min

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord has called for simpler future F1 regulations after several cars slowed or stopped on the formation lap at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. The stoppages disrupted the start of the 4 October 2026 race at Sepang; Lord's comments on the race were reported on 5 October.

Lord said the cars and the regulations governing them were highly complex, and that the sport could still be caught out by their details even around races 15 or 16 of a season. He argued that F1's broad direction for the future should be greater simplification rather than greater complexity.

Lord described the stoppage as a footnote in an otherwise exciting afternoon of racing. Sergio Perez called the situation unacceptable, while Lando Norris described it as just horrible and criticised the electronic side of F1.

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said the software had been tested but not under the specific conditions encountered. He said very low speeds caught the FIA out, and that a bug prevented power from being redeployed. The FIA aborted the start and issued the teams a software update to install.

Sources 04
  1. SOURCEMercedes calls for F1 simplification after "fiendishly complex" cars cause Malaysia chaosMotorsport.com F1
  2. SOURCEFIA issue apology after on-track stoppages cause Bahrain GP chaosRacingNews365 English
  3. SOURCEFIA reveals why F1 cars stopped in rain at Bahrain GP in MalaysiaMotorsport.com F1
  4. PRIMARY SOURCEDoc 60 - Final Race ClassificationFIA F1 decision documents
Claims and supporting evidence 5
Bradley Lord, Mercedes deputy team principal, argued that F1's future regulatory direction should favour simplification.

This is Lord's stated policy view, not a confirmed F1 rule change or an established position of Mercedes as a whole.

[1]
Lord said the cars and regulations were highly complex and could still catch the sport out around races 15 or 16 of a season.

The report attributes both the complexity assessment and the season-stage observation to Lord.

[1]
The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia took place at Sepang on 4 October 2026; Lord's comments about the race were reported on 5 October.

The FIA classification gives the event name, venue and date; the Motorsport.com article gives its publication date.

[4][1]
Tombazis said the software had not been tested under the specific conditions encountered and that a bug prevented power from being redeployed at very low speeds.

This is the FIA director's reported explanation of the formation-lap problem.

[2]
Lord called the disruption a footnote to an otherwise exciting afternoon; Perez called it unacceptable and Norris described it as just horrible while criticising F1's electronic side.

The article attributes each assessment to the person who made it.

[1][3]

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.