F1 in Bahrain... in Malaysia: The race needed a software update to start
A software bug waylaid half the field and required a race reboot.
A software bug waylaid half the field and required a race reboot.
The short version
- Well, it’s safe to say no Bahrain Grand Prix has been affected by torrential rain quite like the 2026 race.
- For one thing, it was held several thousand miles from Bahrain itself.
- The ongoing war with Iran ruled such things out, so the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia stepped in to fill its spot.
What happened
One of the best examples of a late-’90s “Tilke track”—named for its designer, Herman Tilke—it’s characterized by a couple of long straights and the always-brutal tropical weather that provides one of the toughest physical challenges on the calendar. The organizers decided on two formation laps behind the safety car; circulating at lower speed would allow the drivers to get an idea of the track conditions and let their intermediate tires pump some water off the track surface, the idea went.
Why it matters
But that didn’t take into account a bug lurking in the cars’ software.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.