Hamilton likens Sepang software chaos to a ‘LEGO race’

F1 / NEWS & CONTEXTNEWS & CONTEXT

Conceptual AI-generated editorial motorsport illustration; not a documentary photograph or evidence that a pictured event, meeting or transfer occurred. · 2026-10-05GPBeat newsroom · News Made Clear generated illustration

After the race, Lewis Hamilton compared the confusion during Sepang’s formation laps to a LEGO race, saying the cars had all been moving at the same speed. Earlier, software trouble aborted the rain-delayed start and added about 50 minutes before racing began.

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · 05 Oct 2026, 02:44 · 1 min

At the post-race press conference, Lewis Hamilton likened the confusion during the formation laps at Sepang to a “LEGO race”, saying the cars were all moving at the same speed. He had finished third behind Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli in the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang.

The start had already been delayed by rain when software problems hit during the planned formation laps. Motorsport.com reported that a bug triggered by the power-unit controller’s wet-weather mode at very low speeds left drivers stuck in idle mode at points during the two planned formation laps. The planned start was aborted, followed by a further wait of about 50 minutes before racing began.

Motorsport.com said the FIA rapidly coded and delivered a software patch for all 11 teams to install during the resulting red-flag stoppage. Verstappen said he had triggered the problem first and later saw eight other cars still crawling.

Oliver Bearman said his throttle pedal stopped working while the engine idled; Sergio Pérez said pressing the accelerator produced no response. Piastri said he was stuck for about a second and called the episode bizarre, but said it would be unfair to point fingers before an explanation.

Sources 05