Bahrain GP in Malaysia: Lewis Hamilton bemused after F1 'Lego race' - BBC Sport
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Hamilton bemused after glitch turns F1 into 'Lego race'
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Lewis Hamilton's car lost all of its speed just before the race began
By Andrew Benson, F1 Correspondent
Published 4 October 2026
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton likened the effects of a software bug that affected multiple cars before the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia to a "Lego race".
The problem led to several cars, including those of the two multiple world champions who were sharing the front row of the grid, not working in the wet conditions that preceded the race. A tropical downpour delayed attempts to get the grand prix under way for the best part of an hour.
And when the cars set off on formation laps behind a safety car to test the conditions, audiences were treated to the bizarre sight of many of them struggling to move.
A bug in the software that mandates how the engines' electrical power can be used in wet conditions had been triggered by a combination of low engine speeds, low grip and specific aspects of the circuit layout.
Verstappen, who went on to take a dominant win that was his first victory of the year, said: "These engines are so complicated and a lot of software is implemented. I triggered [the problem] first and then I looked in my mirror, I was like, 'Wait, are they waiting for me or what's going...?' It was like the Lego race."
Verstappen was referring to a show run in battery-powered Lego F1 cars that was held before the British Grand Prix in July.
Hamilton, sitting beside Verstappen in the post-race news conference after finishing third, interjected to say: "Yeah, we had the same speed. I had to stop on track and stop the car and engine and restart it. I've never done that before."
Verstappen added: "It was insane... then we did a lap and then I see eight other cars crawling still, and I saw you (Hamilton) by yourself crawling. That's not what you want, right, for the sport."
Mercedes driver George Russell, who retired from the race with an engine failure, said: "It didn't feel very F1."
Nikolas Tombazis, the single-seater director for governing body the FIA said there would be a full investigation. He added that while the software had been tested, it hadn't been tested in these specific conditions, largely because there has been so little running in the wet this year.