That said, the governing body is taking no chances following the extraordinary scenes witnessed before Sunday’s race, as Speedcafe reports. Several cars experienced major power delivery problems while circulating behind the Safety Car, leaving drivers struggling to accelerate from low speeds and some coming to a complete stop on the circuit. The start procedure was already delayed by 40 minutes because of heavy rain before being completely abandoned.
The FIA has now completed its investigation, identifying the specific circumstances that caused the software failure. According to the governing body's findings, some cars running on low engine RPM in certain circuit sectors where a 250kW power reduction was applied experienced a loss of power beyond the original intent, which could not be recovered in those sectors. With turbocharger speeds falling as the cars slowed, the affected engines produced less power, while restrictions on electrical deployment prevented the electric motors from compensating for the shortfall.
Thankfully, engineers were able to react quickly. The review noted that the FIA issued revised software settings within five minutes of the start procedure being halted, followed by further technical guidance 13 minutes later. Every team and power unit manufacturer completed the changes within half an hour of the initial release, lifting the relevant energy restrictions at Sepang and resolving the problem ahead of the eventual race start.
The investigation also tackled suggestions that the original software had been deployed without testing. Although single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis acknowledged after the race that the particular conditions encountered at Sepang had not been replicated beforehand, the governing body confirmed the system had been assessed. Teams and power unit manufacturers had undertaken simulations, and the software was also used during the opening practice sessions at the Belgian and Dutch Grands Prix without revealing the issue.
Now, the governing body will reuse the emergency settings introduced at Sepang if similar wet weather is forecast for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, before issuing another software update for the United States Grand Prix on October 25. The review has also prompted a wider examination of how such software can be tested more effectively. The FIA, together with the teams and Power Unit Manufacturers (PUMs), will continue to strengthen power unit software testing and verification capabilities through independent assessment, collaborative feedback, and input from the supplier of the standardised Electronics Control Unit (ECU).
Meanwhile, the weather forecast for Singapore currently indicates a possibility of rain on Sunday for the race, with clear conditions expected across the other two days.
