Formula 1 needs to “have a hard look” at itself after unprecedented software glitches disrupted the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Williams driver, Carlos Sainz has said.
The problem affected several cars during the formation lap at Sepang on Sunday, forcing the start to be abandoned and delaying the race by more than 90 minutes.
The FIA later issued an updated software code to remove the energy limit that had caused the cars to lose power in the wet conditions. The governing body has launched a full review of the incident.
Sainz, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said the incident showed that the sport’s new regulations had become too complicated.
“It is clear the regulations are extremely complicated for the drivers, for the teams, for the power units and for the manufacturers,” Sainz said.
“Who decided five years ago that this was the direction to go?
“We are doing the best with what we are given as a sport and as regulations. The FIA and F1 are doing the best they can.
“But clearly what was decided four or five years ago was wrong. We need to learn as a sport not to make those mistakes again.”
FIA launches full review
The software problem occurred because of an unusual combination of low engine speeds, low grip, wet-weather energy management settings and the configuration of the Sepang circuit.
The FIA said the combination resulted in an unintended loss of power for a number of cars.
The issue had not been detected during testing or the laps to the grid, with the FIA acknowledging that the lack of wet-weather running had contributed to the problem.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said the incident should prompt the sport to examine the complexity of its systems.
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“It’s a good reminder for all of us that we should probably make sure that complexity doesn’t get out of hand and that we keep things as under control as possible,” Mekies said.
“And I’m sure we’ll have discussions with the teams, with the FIA and with F1 to see how we can protect ourselves from those situations moving forward and make sure we can keep the complexity of the cars and the systems under control.”
New engine regulations under scrutiny
Sainz’s comments have added to the wider criticism of F1’s 2026 engine regulations.
The new power units have a much larger electrical component, with the regulations initially designed around an almost equal split between combustion and electrical power. Drivers have complained about the complexity of managing energy and the way the cars behave when battery power is depleted.
The power units can produce about 1,000bhp at full power but significantly less when the battery is depleted.
Energy management has therefore become a major part of driving the new-generation cars, with batteries repeatedly charging and deploying energy around a lap.
One of the wet-weather settings involved in Sunday’s incident reduces total electrical power from 350kW to 250kW in certain conditions.
The complexity of the system has also affected how some circuits are driven, with drivers sometimes managing energy rather than attacking corners at full speed.
Fernando Alonso has previously described some corners as “charging stations for the car”.
Changes already planned
The 2026 regulations have already been adjusted during the season in response to concerns over energy management.
Further changes are planned, with the balance between combustion and electrical power set to move further towards the internal combustion engine in the coming seasons.
F1 and the teams are also working on the next engine formula, which is expected to use less electrical power and reduce the risk of cars becoming energy starved.
The FIA has previously considered several options for the future power units, including a return to naturally aspirated V8 engines without hybrid power.
The current direction is understood to favour a turbocharged V8 with a smaller electrical component, which could be used more simply for additional performance.
For now, however, the focus is on understanding how the software failure happened and ensuring a similar incident does not happen again.
The FIA said its full review will involve the governing body, teams and power-unit manufacturers.
Sainz believes the incident should be treated as a lesson for the sport.
“We need to learn as a sport not to make those mistakes again,” he said.
