\u201cIt was insane,\u201d said the championship leader Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes. \u201cAt some point we were five-wide in the straight, because we couldn\u2019t understand what was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton was one of the field who ground to a halt. \u201cI had to stop on-track, stop the car, the engine, and restart it. I\u2019ve never done that before,\u201d he said, while Verstappen reiterated his previous criticism of the engine regulations. \u201cWhat can you say? It\u2019s not what you want for the sport. I hope there is a lesson learned,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The issue was caused by software designed to control the engine but which had been insufficiently tested in low-grip, wet conditions which led to what the sport\u2019s governing body the FIA called \u201can unintended loss of power\u201d.<\/p>\n
The start had to be aborted and the field returned to the pit lane to have the software updated in a delay that lasted 53 minutes, leading to a \u00adchorus of disapproval from the drivers who were already dissatisfied with the current engine formula.<\/p>\n
The defending world champion, Lando Norris, who finished ninth for McLaren and is one of many who have been critical of the engine regulations, described it as \u201cjust \u00adhorrible\u201d and noted once more that it demonstrated the sport had taken a wrong turn, adding: \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t have any of that stuff, the electronic side.\u201d<\/p>\n
The formula, an almost 50-50 split between electronic and combustion power, will not be changed this \u00adseason with a minor adjustment next year and more serious change in 2028, but the issue had once more raised the question of how the sport reached this point.<\/p>\n
The safety car leads Max Verstappen in a wet formation lap. Photograph: Clive Mason\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201c[F1] needs to have a hard look at themselves and see how we ended up in this situation,\u201d said Williams\u2019 Carlos Sainz. \u201cIt is clear the regs are extremely complicated for the drivers, for the teams, for the power units, for the manufacturers. It is too complicated. Again, my only question mark is who five years ago decided that this was the direction to go?\u201d<\/p>\n
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