FIA announces unusual FP1 test in Austin after Malaysia chaos

The governing body will work alongside all teams and power unit manufacturers to conduct an additional test of the software used in low-grip conditions. The simulation will take place at the end of FP1 in Austin, with drivers required to follow specific procedures during their in-laps.

According to the FIA's communication, the cars will run in low-grip mode, with specific driver inputs used to assess additional software protections. As a result, drivers will travel at low speed for a short distance around Turn 15 at the Circuit of The Americas once the session has concluded.

The decision follows the chaotic scenes at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where several drivers experienced unexpected power losses during the formation laps at Sepang.

The problems emerged as cars travelled at particularly low speeds behind the safety car in wet conditions. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were among those affected, with several cars slowing dramatically or coming to a standstill. The race start procedure was subsequently suspended while the FIA worked to resolve the issue.

An investigation later established that the problem was linked to the software managing the power units' electrical energy deployment. In certain sectors, where a 250kW power reduction was applied, cars running at low engine revs experienced a greater loss of power than intended, which could not be recovered while they remained in those sections of the circuit.

The FIA subsequently issued an updated software configuration to the teams and power unit manufacturers, allowing the race to proceed. Following its investigation, the governing body also confirmed that further changes to the wet-weather software would be introduced for the United States Grand Prix.

The first free practice session for the United States Grand Prix is set to get underway shortly at the Circuit of The Americas. Follow all the action from Austin with GPblog's live coverage of FP1.