FIA delivers clear verdict on chances of Bahrain GP software issues returning
Photo: Race Pictures
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Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis admitted that while the specific software issue that caused problems in Bahrain should not happen again, it is impossible to guarantee that other issues will not emerge in the future.
The Greek engineer previously explained that the disruption originated from a software bug that escaped detection before the race. With very little wet-weather running taking place this season, the FIA was unable to test the system as extensively as it would have liked in those conditions.
The issue appeared during the formation laps when the field began to bunch up and several cars slowed almost to a standstill. Once they reached a sufficiently low speed, the bug prevented them from redeploying power and accelerating again. The FIA quickly identified the problem and produced a software update for the teams, with the process of preparing and installing the fix taking around 20 minutes.
Tombazis also revealed that the trigger involved cars reaching a very low speed in sections where full power was already restricted. This sent the system into a loop that prevented drivers from accelerating again, explaining why several cars appeared to stop on track.
Photo: Race Pictures
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“In some sectors the full power is reduced, and the triggering factor was some cars reaching a very low speed. I don't know exactly what speed that was, but some cars reaching this very low speed somehow entered into a loop which meant they couldn't re-accelerate. And then it looked as if they came to a stop.”
Still speaking to GPblog, Tombazis explained that the FIA conducts an extensive debrief after every race to identify potential issues, with the Bahrain incident considered a major area requiring attention. He expressed confidence that this specific software problem will not happen again, although he acknowledged that it is impossible to guarantee that other technical issues will never occur in the future.
“We have every race a long debrief afterwards where we identify criticalities. Obviously, that was a major criticality and we need to make sure we avoid it. But can I guarantee it will never happen again? This specific problem, yes. A problem, no. But we will do our best to avoid it, of course.”
Tombazis added that the FIA’s immediate priority was simply to get the race underway again, meaning the solution implemented at the time was put together quickly under significant time pressure. The governing body will now carry out a more detailed analysis to fully understand all the factors behind the problem.
“What we concentrated was to get the show running again. The solution was a cobbled up, hurried solution. Now we need to go and analyse exactly and understand these factors.”
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