F1 software bug turns Malaysian GP into 'Lego race' — SkimNews
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- A software bug in mandated wet-weather engine settings caused multiple cars — including those of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton on the front row — to stall or crawl on formation laps at Sepang, prompting Verstappen to quip it was like a 'Lego race'
- Verstappen recovered from losing the lead to two Mercedes off the line to take a dominant win — his first victory of 2026 and 72nd of his career — capping Red Bull's turnaround after a difficult start to the season
- FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis confirmed a full investigation, explaining the bug was triggered by low engine speeds, low grip, and circuit-specific conditions that hadn't been tested because there had been so little wet running all year
- George Russell retired from third place with an engine failure with five laps remaining, turning a three-point deficit into an 18-point loss and extending Kimi Antonelli's championship lead to 84 points with 158–183 remaining
- The glitch is the latest symptom of the new hybrid power units introduced this year, with their near 50-50 split between electrical and combustion power, and rules are already being changed for next year to alter the energy split
- Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord defended the FIA's decision to revert to the original starting grid after the jumbled field order, arguing resetting was the more viewer-friendly call than explaining the chaos to millions of fans
Why it matters: The Sepang glitch exposed how brittle F1's new hybrid power-unit regulations are — exactly the kind of failure the FIA says it will prevent ahead of next year's rule changes, though Tombazis stopped short of guaranteeing no future problems. Verstappen's first win combined with Russell's late DNF has effectively ended the title race: Antonelli leads by 84 points with at most 183 still on the table, a gap Russell himself called 'exceptionally unlikely' to overturn.
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