Overview
- A fault in FIA‑supplied power‑unit software made several cars crawl or stop on the formation lap at the Bahrain Grand Prix staged at Sepang, forcing race control to suspend the start and red‑flag the event.
- Race officials applied a software parameter update during the delay and then reset the field to the original starting‑grid order for the successful standing start, a choice that determined several drivers’ restart positions.
- Fernando Alonso publicly called the reset decision “100% unfair” while team figures including Aston Martin’s Mike Krack and Mercedes deputy Bradley Lord defended the reset as the only practical option in chaotic conditions.
- Lewis Hamilton was among those who stopped on the formation lap, reclaimed his grid slot after the reset and recovered to finish third, and Fernando Alonso finished eighth, which was Aston Martin’s best result of the season.
- The FIA has apologised, distributed the software fix and opened a technical and procedural review that could change power‑unit software rules, restart interpretation under Article B5.14.1 of the sporting regulations, or both.