Lewis Hamilton likened Sunday’s farcical ‘Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia’ to a ‘Lego race’ – a PR stunt he hated at Silverstone in July.
Meanwhile, the governing FIA launched an urgent investigation into the shambles of an event delayed for more than an hour.
This comes after several cars broke down in Kuala Lumpur with software problems on one of Formula One’s strangest of days.
Max Verstappen won convincingly but the event will be remembered for the fact that cars could not race in the wet. The software in the half-electric/half-combustion engine power units was exposed to rain for the first significant time and could not cope in such conditions. There was a delay in proceedings lasting 1hr 33min as the technology was rebooted and the race finally went on.
Kimi Antonelli finished second and Hamilton, who drove well after falling back to 18th, finished third, on an afternoon that represented a slap in the face to those who conceived this year’s preposterous regulations.
The grand prix, relocated from the Middle East, was pushed back 40 minutes as the rain fell and was delayed for nearly a further hour as gremlins struck on the initial formation lap.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were in agreement after the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia
A software issue meant the cars were unable to handle the wet track in Malaysia
Both Verstappen and Hamilton, who denounced the pre-race tour in Lego-built buggies in July ahead of the British race, to a near or total standstill.
‘I am pressing the throttle, and nothing is happening,’ complained Hamilton, who stopped at the side of the track.
The grand prix was then postponed while the software was rebooted – the most visible sign of the complexity of this year’s hybrid engines with their baffling battery components, understood by practically nobody.
Hamilton said: ‘It was like the Lego race.’
He added: ‘I hope there is a lesson learned.’
The FIA issued a statement within an hour, saying: ‘On the formation lap an unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low-grip conditions, wet-weather energy management settings and the Sepang circuit’s sector configuration led to an unintended loss of power for a number of cars.
‘The FIA Technical Department removed the energy limit constraint in the affected sectors through an updated software release distributed to all competitors during the race delay caused by heavy rain, enabling teams to make the necessary changes to the power unit before the start of the race.’This issue had not been detected by the FIA or the teams during testing or the laps to the grid. The FIA, together with the teams and power unit manufacturers, will undertake a full review of the issue.’
George Russell, who retired with engine failure while lying third, fell 84 points behind championship-leader Antonelli. There are 183 points to be fought over the concluding seven rounds.
Russell said: ‘The whole day felt like a bit of a faff, with the delay, the red flag, and endless laps behind the safety car.
‘It didn’t feel very F1 today. I would be disappointed if I was in the stands and watching that unfold.’
Verstappen, claiming his first win of the season, has been a consistent critic of this year’s regulations.
He said: ‘What can you say? That’s not what you want for the sport.’
