When the throttle went dead: F1’s wet-weather wake-up call at Bahrain GP

Verstappen has been a vocal critic of the new rules where the drivers have reduced control over power delivery. Despite completing his first win of the season, he was far from happy about the farcical mess following the originally scheduled start.

Updated : Oct 04, 2026 23:13 IST , CHENNAI - 5 MINS READ

Chaos plays a critical role in wet-weather races, often providing the spark that makes the spectacle as adventurous. The Bahrain Grand Prix had exactly that.  | Photo Credit: AP

Formula One has made umpteen attempts to make the sport more exhilarating for fans. Technical regulation changes, qualification format trials, new street circuits and the addition of sprint races have all been introduced with varying degrees of success. The only sureshot way to guarantee excitement, however, has been something beyond everyone’s control — the weather. The 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia (another phrase that you will hear only in F1) was the latest example.

A track returning to the calendar for the first time since 2017. The championship-leading car on the back foot. Concerns regarding tyre wear that could force multi-pitstop strategies. The race already had all the ingredients to be an edge-of-the-seat thriller. The rain gods provided the perfect topping.

Chaos plays a critical role in wet-weather races, often providing the spark that makes the spectacle as adventurous. The start of the Bahrain Grand Prix had exactly that. With minimal data to work with regarding tyre performance on this tarmac under rainy conditions, teams were in the dark with regard to strategy. Many teams chose to start the delayed race on slick tyres while others opted to play it safe with the intermediates.

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It didn’t take long to realise which was the correct way to go. Those on the red-walled soft and yellow-walled medium tyres struggled for grip on the wet surface and found themselves tumbling down the order. Like countless instances over the last decade, once again it was the two Ferrari cars in the midst of a questionable strategy decision.

But the beauty of a rain-hit race is that you can never account for how much mayhem is impending and how quickly a wrong call could turn into a blessing. At the end of 55 laps, the scarlet red car of Lewis Hamilton, floundering in 17th place a few laps into the race, found its way past the finish line in third! His teammate, Charles Leclerc, who shed his softs for intermediates four laps in and had to install a new front wing after damage, finished fourth to confirm a rich haul of points for the Prancing Horse. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, whose future in the sport has been a continuous topic of discussion following the disastrous start to the season for Aston Martin, was another big beneficiary, finishing eighth to take home four invaluable points.

Track sweepers were deployed on the track after heavy rain caused a delay in the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia. | Photo Credit: AP

But, as is the case with chaos, there is never only a positive side. The Bahrain GP was set to begin after a 40-minute initial weather delay. The 22 cars exited their respective garages behind the safety car. Just moments later, there was an almost co-ordinated clamour on the radio from multiple drivers. “I can’t accelerate! It’s not working, guys,” said Max Verstappen. ”I’m pressing the throttle, and nothing’s happening!” exclaimed Hamilton. More such cars ground to a halt behind the safety car, prompting Race Control to abandon the start procedure.

It took almost another hour before the race finally got underway. Nobody understood why the drama unfolded during the previous start until the FIA (International Automobile Federation) put out a statement. The loss of power on several cars was due to “an unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low-grip conditions, wet-weather energy management settings and the Sepang circuit’s sector configuration”, the racing body explained.

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Under the latest set of regulations, 50 per cent of power is electric. But with cars moving around at snail’s pace on a wet track, the battery drained completely under full throttle. FIA regulations limited the amount of power a car can derive from the internal combustion engine as well. The technical department had to issue a software upgrade to all cars to override the power setting and allow cars to unlock more power.

The fact that this issue had not been identified by the FIA or the teams before the race points to a lack of complete understanding of the new hybrid regulations. Verstappen has been a vocal critic of the new rules where the drivers have reduced control over power delivery. Despite completing his first win of the season, he was far from happy about the farcical mess following the originally scheduled start. “That’s not what you want for the sport,” said the four-time champion.

At the end of four hours of somewhat controlled chaos, F1 delivered an exciting Grand Prix but, more importantly, learnt a harsh lesson on the problems that come with an unbridled thirst for on-track action.