Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton slammed Formula 1’s engine rules after the rain‑splashed Bahrain Grand Prix turned chaotic, likening the intricate power units to LEGO bricks.
Verstappen still clinched his 72nd career win, marking Red Bull’s first triumph with its in‑house powertrain, yet both drivers were left fuming over the odd glitch that hit as rain soaked the circuit.
Several contenders, Verstappen included, suffered major hiccups during the formation lap.
‘That’s the issue we face,’ Verstappen told reporters, noting the wet‑weather engine woes and the heavy reliance on software.
I hit the trigger, glanced at my mirror and thought, ‘Are they waiting for me or what?’
Hamilton called it a ‘LEGO race,’ and I think the sport’s over‑engineered complexity is hurting its appeal, Verstappen added, hoping lessons will be learned.
Verstappen said the root cause lay in the engine’s software.
When you drop too low in speed and RPM, the unit stalls briefly before reviving after a second or two, he explained.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
That’s basically what I experienced at the start, though the first software update didn’t fire, the second improved things.
Otherwise I’d have been stuck, as I was early this season after poor starts, but the tweak helped a bit.
The FIA issued a statement detailing the formation‑lap incident.
An unprecedented mix of low engine speed, slippery conditions, wet‑weather energy management and Sepang’s sector layout caused unexpected power loss for several cars, the FIA explained.
The technical department lifted the energy‑limit restriction in the affected zones via a software patch sent to all teams during the rain‑induced delay, allowing units to be adjusted before the race began.
The problem escaped detection in testing or on‑track runs; the FIA, together with teams and manufacturers, will conduct a full review.
Edit: A transcription error initially credited the LEGO quote to Verstappen; it has now been corrected to Hamilton.
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– The Team