The Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia proved to be one of the most chaotic events I have witnessed in recent Formula 1 history. After a lengthy nine‑year absence, the circuit finally returned to the F1 calendar thanks to a clever combination of logistical ingenuity and local enthusiasm, and the race itself delivered a spectacular, if bewildering, show.
First, I must acknowledge the many fans I met over the weekend—especially those I encountered at the airport on Monday morning—who endured exceptionally long queues to leave the venue and reach their homes. The surrounding road network became completely gridlocked, and shuttle buses were forced to halt as traffic snarled.
Although the event was assembled on a very tight timetable, these transport woes were disappointing, and I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the Malaysian supporters who stuck it out despite the inconvenience. Those I spoke with all told me they thoroughly enjoyed the race and the overall spectacle, even if they, like me, got drenched while walking on the grid. The weather turned hostile at the exact moment the cars were lining up: a sudden rain cell dumped a torrent of water onto the track just as the drivers were preparing for the start.
Emergency shelters were hurriedly erected over the cars, and wet‑weather tyres were rolled out in a frenzy, but the standing water was so deep that race control had to suspend the start procedure. When the downpour eased, officials acted swiftly. They announced that the field would complete two formation laps behind the safety car before attempting a proper standing start.
Initially this seemed reasonable, but the situation quickly deteriorated. Several cars began to crawl at a crawl and then stopped altogether, while the safety car continued at a normal pace, effectively pulling ahead of the rest of the field. Drivers were understandably hesitant to overtake the very slow cars, fearing a breach of the regulations.
A noticeable number of the six Ferrari‑powered entries appeared to be affected, as did a few Red Bull Powertrains machines and a McLaren‑Mercedes. Since this was the first wet‑weather outing for many of the brand‑new 2026 cars, the problem was unexpected and puzzling. The root cause turned out to be a software issue within the FIA’s standardized control unit—often referred to as the car’s "brain".
All modern F1 cars run a common FIA‑supplied software stack to guarantee parity and enforce the rulebook. The code was not designed to handle vehicles travelling at the extremely low speeds that resulted from the safety‑car‑induced crawl, and it consequently shut down power delivery to the affected power units. The grid fragmented into two, then three, separate groups.
Drivers had to resort to pressing the control‑alt‑delete combination on their steering‑wheel controls to reboot the power units. Chaos reigned as the safety car began to lap cars that should have been following it closely. The only viable solution was to abandon the formation laps, send the field back to the pits, and reset the situation.
When the cars arrived, the safety car was oddly positioned mid‑pack rather than at the front of the line. A further dilemma emerged: how to treat the drivers who had come to a complete stop and lost positions—Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari being a prime example. Would they be required to restart from the spot where they re‑entered the pit lane, or could they be returned to their original grid slots?
After a lengthy 40‑minute pause—long enough for the rain cell to clear the surrounding area—race officials made a fair decision to restore the original grid order for the restart. In parallel, the FIA engineers identified the software bug and issued a rapid patch. The fix altered key power‑unit parameters governing low‑speed operation (under 50 km/h) and was broadcast to every car, even those that had not experienced the issue, such as the Aston Martins.
Once the patch was applied, the cars were able to run at higher speeds behind the safety car, and the teams now knew exactly what to watch for. The circuit itself, notorious for sudden cloudbursts that usually evaporate quickly, presented another challenge. Race‑day temperatures were lower than those recorded during practice and qualifying, leaving the pit lane and many sections of the track bone‑dry while other areas remained damp. Deciding which tyres to use for the delayed standing start—more than ninety minutes after the scheduled time—became a critical strategic question.
Most teams, including Ferrari, McLaren, Audi and Aston Martin, initially opted for slick dry tyres, assuming the track would have dried sufficiently. However, as soon as the safety car peeled away, a significant spray of water was evident, and corners three and five were still noticeably wet. Some drivers, like Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and the Audi duo, immediately recognised that intermediates with light water‑groove patterns were the safer choice. Others, such as Hamilton and Lando Norris, elected to stay on slicks, hoping the track would improve rapidly.
Charles Leclerc also stayed on slicks, but contact on the first racing lap shattered his front wing, forcing an early pit stop for intermediates. After that stop, he quickly caught up to Hamilton’s Ferrari and passed it, illustrating how dramatically slower slicks were on the still‑damp surface. The asphalt showed heavy wear in several spots, and the extreme weather conditions that the venue endures year‑round have taken their toll. No resurfacing was undertaken for this one‑off event, meaning the old surface—often reaching temperatures above 60 °C—was already stressing the dry tyres during practice and qualifying.
When the rain hit, the porous nature of the aged tarmac acted like a sponge, retaining water in countless microscopic pockets and slowing the drying process. At the front of the pack, a thrilling duel unfolded between the two Mercedes drivers—Kimi Antonelli and George Russell—and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, all of whom were on intermediates. Verstappen entered the weekend as the clear favourite, and his pace reflected that expectation. It took nine laps for Lando Norris, the leading slick‑tyred driver, to finally match the speed of the intermediate‑shod cars, by which point the slick runners were more than a minute behind.
Hamilton, meanwhile, resisted the urge to switch to intermediates, preferring to preserve track position rather than incur a pit‑stop penalty. Just as the race settled, Valtteri Bottas (driving a Cadillac) spun into the gravel at turn 13, prompting a full‑safety‑car deployment. The timing was perfect for the leaders: they could replace their overheating intermediates with fresh slicks during a pit stop that now cost only about 18 seconds instead of the usual 26, thanks to the reduced speed under safety‑car conditions.
The safety car stayed out for an extended period, allowing the slick‑tyred runners to close the gap and erase the massive time loss they had suffered earlier. This reset gave Hamilton a chance to continue on his original soft‑compound dry tyres for a remarkable 31 laps, a gamble that ultimately paid off. Antonelli maintained a strong pace at the front, trading overtakes with his teammate Russell. Verstappen, on dry tyres, leveraged his natural speed and clever restarts to seize the lead, a position he never truly relinquished despite later incidents.
Meanwhile, the Racing Bulls—Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad—had started from the back due to power‑unit penalties but were running competitively, as were Esteban Ocon in the Haas and Carlos Sainz in the Williams, who had both climbed into the top ten. As the track dried, the usual suspects—the two Ferraris and two McLarens—began to move forward. Isack Hadjar, in the second Red Bull, held a solid fourth place all weekend, though he would later lose some power in the final stages.
A notable incident occurred on lap 42 when Alex Albon’s Williams stalled at the exit of turn three, coming to rest beside a service road. Marshals had to extract the car, prompting another full safety‑car period to allow the field to bunch up and give the team time to clear the obstruction. During the subsequent laps, many drivers elected to change to fresh, albeit partially used, tyres to ensure adequate grip for the race’s closing phases.
The safety‑car period also gave the three lapped cars a chance to un‑lap themselves, a process that proved slow due to a flawed regulation that required them to catch up to the safety‑car line. Two dramatic events then unfolded. Russell’s Mercedes suffered a power‑unit failure even at safety‑car speed, forcing him to retire—a heartbreaking moment that encapsulated his season of bad luck and could have repercussions for his power‑unit allocation in Singapore. Shortly after, Lando Norris, warming his tyres on the approach to turn one, failed to notice the slowed pack ahead.
He swerved to avoid colliding with his teammate Oscar Piastri, slid onto the kerb, and was forced into the gravel, losing several positions. Under safety‑car rules he could not regain those places, ultimately finishing ninth.
This result kept McLaren just 18 points ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship. Verstappen, after another clean restart, reclaimed the lead and held it to the finish. Antonelli chased as best he could, but the Red Bull was simply too quick.
Hamilton managed to overtake Hadjar for third place, while Leclerc moved into fourth, delivering a solid points haul for Ferrari and easing pressure on team principal Frédéric Vasseur. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad secured respectable seventh and tenth places for Racing Bulls, and Fernando Alonso earned an eighth‑place finish for Aston Martin. The Aston Martin’s performance was boosted by the circuit’s layout and the way the worn surface interacted with the car’s aerodynamics, allowing Alonso to fend off a late charge from Norris. Verstappen’s victory marked his first win of the season and the inaugural triumph for the all‑new Red Bull‑Ford power unit, a milestone the team had been building toward for several races.
It was also his seventh “Driver of the Day” award from the fans this year. Championship leader Antonelli continued his consistency, finishing ahead of his main rivals Russell and Hamilton and extending his lead to 84 points. With the upcoming Qatar and Abu Dhabi events still on schedule, another 50 points remain up for grabs, but even if Kimi misses the remaining races in Singapore, Austin or Mexico, he would still retain a comfortable championship advantage with four rounds left. The race concluded with just twelve minutes remaining before the time limit expired, ending a marathon three‑hour‑twenty‑minute session that began well after the original start time.
As the F1 circus now turns its attention to Singapore for the final sprint weekend of the year, fans can look forward to new challenges and fresh drama on the streets of Marina Bay.