FIA traces Sepang start chaos to wet-weather power loss

The FIA’s evaluation traced the disrupted start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang on 4 October, to an unintended power loss in wet conditions. Several cars lost power and stopped during the formation lap, forcing the start procedure to be suspended. Teams received revised software settings, and the second start attempt went ahead without the same problem.

After the race, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said he did not yet fully understand the exact problem and noted it was the first time they had started in such conditions. The FIA’s later evaluation found the issue arose in certain sectors where cars were running at low engine speeds and a 250 kW reduction was being applied for wet conditions. On some cars, the reduction had a stronger effect than intended; the resulting extra power loss could not be recovered in those sectors.

The FIA said it identified the cause within five minutes of suspending the start procedure. The race began about 20 minutes after its scheduled start.

The FIA said the software had been tested before its introduction: teams and power-unit manufacturers ran simulations, followed by full runs during first practice at the Belgian and Dutch Grands Prix. The evaluation nevertheless concluded that testing and validation should be strengthened, partly because opportunities to test the software under representative conditions are limited. The FIA plans wider testing and checks with teams and manufacturers, as well as independent reviews and feedback from the standard ECU supplier.

For Singapore, the FIA plans to use the Sepang configuration if comparable wet conditions are expected. A further wet-weather software update is planned for the United States Grand Prix on 25 October.