Charles Leclerc warns there is no quick fix after Sepang scare: 'Surely it's not good enough'
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Charles Leclerc has warned that the power delivery of Formula 1's 2026 cars could cause big crashes when drivers cannot see in heavy spray. The Ferrari driver also expects no short-term fix. His comments carry extra weight and are significant because Singapore's forecast includes thunderstorms.
Speaking after the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, Leclerc said the software failure on the formation lap was just one example of why drivers are worried about the current cars. He described being stuck behind the stranded leaders in spray so heavy that he could not see the safety car.
"We were stuck at like 20 kph," Leclerc said. "So, I don't know. It's a little bit scary to see that on a Formula 1 car." His teammate Lewis Hamilton had to switch his engine off and restart it to get going again, something GPblog has covered in detail.
Leclerc says drivers are not fully in control of their power
The bug itself was a one-off. The FIA has said it came from an unprecedented mix of low engine speed, low grip, wet-weather settings and the way the Sepang sectors were configured. For Leclerc, though, the bigger issue is a problem drivers have had with these power units all year: they do not always know how much power they will get.
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I think that's a bit our worry with these cars is that, not to that extent of course this was a problem, but whatever you have when you get out of the corner sometimes you can have 100 horsepower more, 100 horsepower less. You are not completely in control of the power you are given. And then, with this kind of visibility like at the start of the race, you can have big shunts because of that.- Charles Leclerc
Leclerc's criticism comes as Lando Norris argued that the electronics themselves are the problem while Max Verstappen's suggestion is a return to V8 engines. But Leclerc is talking about safety: a sudden change in power at corner exit is far more dangerous when the driver behind cannot see.
Leclerc sees no short-term solution
Leclerc was asked whether the weekend confirmed everything that is wrong with the engine formula. He chose his words carefully, but his verdict was still blunt.
I don't want to be so extreme with my words, but surely it's not good enough. I mean, we've been raising those issues, and I hope that we fix them. But, unfortunately I don't think there's any short-term solutions to these problems. These problems are unfortunately the results of decisions made quite a long time ago and now to revert or to change that it's going to take time.- Charles Leclerc
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George Russell had a similar view at Sepang. He that "the power units are exceptionally complicated" and that more complexity means more things can go wrong.
Singapore could be the next wet test
Leclerc's warning could be tested within days. The Singapore Grand Prix runs from October 9 to 11 and while no rain expected on Friday or Saturday, thunderstorms are predicted for Sunday's race.
If heavy rain does come, Marina Bay is a hard place for it. Standing water, poor visibility and the circuit's walls make wet conditions there especially difficult. As GPblog reported in how the FIA software fix faces immediate test, every car uses the same standard software, so no team is immune if the wet-weather settings return.
The FIA's patch is meant to stop the Sepang bug from happening again. Leclerc's point is that the patch does not change how the power arrives at corner exit, and he does not expect that to change this season.
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