Hamilton’s Bahrain GP front-row restart puts FIA rule under the microscope
Photo: Race Pictures
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.
Former Aston Martin Head of Race Strategy and current F1 pundit Bernie Collins has put the decision to allow Lewis Hamilton to retake his second-place grid slot at Sepang under the microscope following the software chaos that disrupted the formation lap.
The FIA's decision to restore the original grid order, despite the cars returning to the pit lane in a different sequence following the suspended start procedure, appears to contrast with Article B5.15.1 of the regulations. The provision states that “any F1 cars that entered the pit lane behind the Safety Car when the start procedure was suspended will be arranged in the order they entered the pit lane.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the procedure, Hamilton was ultimately able to retain his second-place starting position rather than being sent towards the back of the field, meaning the software problem on the formation lap carried no further sporting consequence for his race. Ironically, Ferrari's unsuccessful tyre gamble at the eventual start soon dropped him towards the rear anyway, effectively undoing the advantage of being restored to his original grid slot.
Collins offered a mixed assessment of the FIA's handling of the situation. While she felt the sheer level of chaos provided some justification for returning everyone to their original grid positions, she stressed that the written regulations appear to outline a different procedure.
Photo: Race Pictures
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“I sort of agree with going back to the grid order because that was so chaotic, but there is literally a rule written for suspension of start procedure that says in black and white, F1 cars entering the pit lane will start in the order they entered the pit lane. Yes, that was much more chaotic than that rule is written for, but that rule is written there.
“The people that have gained because they did a better job during the formation lap, through either understanding of the engine or pure luck or whatever the case may be. The people that gained will feel a little bit hard done by if it goes back to grid order. There’ll be pit walls talking to race control in both directions.”
Hamilton's near-retirement at Sepang leaves Ferrari desperate for answers
Ferrari eam principal Frederic Vasseur admitted after the Grand Prix that the cause of the failure was still not fully understood, despite the issue affecting several cars following the rain delay.
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For Ferrari, the timing of the failure proved crucial. Vasseur explained that a similar issue affecting Hamilton alone would likely have forced him to pull over and retire. Instead, with several cars experiencing problems at the same time, race control abandoned the formation lap and the start procedure was reset, giving Ferrari an opportunity to recover the situation.
Vasseur therefore acknowledged that Ferrari benefited from the failure occurring when it did. Had the same problem appeared once the race was underway, resolving it would have been considerably more complicated and Hamilton's Grand Prix could have ended immediately. Despite successfully getting both cars into the race, Ferrari still needed to establish precisely what caused the software failure.
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