Marko calls Sepang software failure shameful

Helmut Marko said it was shameful for a software problem to stop a high-end product such as Formula 1. The fault struck during the formation lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, held at Sepang on 4 October 2026, and delayed the restart by 53 minutes.

Marko, a former Red Bull Racing adviser, made the remarks in an interview with Austrian publication oe24; his comments were reported on 7 October. He said the long wait during the rain delay was boring, but accepted the weather delays; his criticism was directed at the software failure, not the rain.

Heavy rain had already delayed the start by 40 minutes. During the formation lap, some cars slowed almost to a standstill. FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said the bug stopped the cars from deploying power again, leaving them unable to get moving.

Tombazis said very little wet running in 2026 meant the software had not been tested as extensively as the FIA wanted. FIA staff identified the problem quickly and issued an update for teams to install, he said; the response took about 20 minutes. He apologized for the wait.