Max Verstappen was even able to joke about the software farce in the rain in Sepang after his redemptive debut victory this season. “It was like the Lego race,” said the triumphant at Formula 1’s turbulent return to Malaysia and laughed: “That was crazy.”
As if this Grand Prix, which was subsequently added to the calendar for the race in Bahrain, which was canceled due to the Iran war, had not already caused enough drama and turbulence. Cloudbursts, thunderstorms, thrilling duels, the preliminary decision in the title fight in favor of second-placed Kimi Antonelli (20) after team-mate George Russell's dramatic defect shortly before the end.
A lot of need for discussion and clarification
Or Verstappen's first victory since December 7, 2025 and his 72nd at the place where he celebrated his second in 2017 and thus said goodbye to Sepang from the racing calendar. Or once again a questionably strange Ferrari strategy and Lewis Hamilton's subsequent race to catch up from the back of the field to third place.
There was a need for discussion and even more clarification in the now dark and evening Sepang, but above all because of the scenes that were not worthy of the image of a class that so likes to pride itself as the “pinnacle of motorsport”. “I had to stop on the track, turn off the car and the engine and then restart it. I've never done that before," emphasized Hamilton, who will soon be competing in his 400th Grand Prix at the age of 41.
There was “great panic” when they all had no power, the Brit recalled the absurd scenes when highly bred Formula 1 racing cars crept across the wet asphalt at walking pace on the formation lap or even stopped. Verstappen got it too. “That’s not exactly what you want for sport, is it?” he emphasized.
“An unworthy spectacle”
Give it gas - but nothing happens. After the cloudburst that started before the race and had already caused a delay, a software problem caused even more delay.
“It was a combination of several events,” explained the technical director of the FIA, the world automobile association, Nikolas Tombazis: “That confused the software so that the cars could no longer accelerate.” For safety reasons due to the rain and the wet track, the settings for the drives were changed - this year 50 percent of the power comes from the combustion engine and 50 percent from the battery. But that went wrong - because there was no experience with such conditions.
“An unworthy spectacle for the premier class of motorsport,” wrote the “Salzburger Nachrichten”. "Formula 1 turned (...) into a "formula farce" in Malaysia when the supposedly most modern cars in the world couldn't make progress on wet roads," mocked the "Daily Mail" from England. The FIA announced detailed investigations. The next race is scheduled for next weekend in neighboring Singapore.
Gallows humor from the Brit: Russell's hope is practically gone
And there Antonelli can take the next step on the way to great triumph. The 20-year-old Italian has 84 points over his British teammate, who left the paddock with a backpack and a lot of frustration an hour after his last World Cup hope was probably dashed. “I am beyond disappointed,” he said a few minutes earlier. “It’s almost laughable.”
If only the problems, especially with the 28-year-old's car, but ultimately also with both Mercedes, weren't so serious. “The fact that George is standing still is very bad for his championship and is also a sticking point for us in the constructors’ championship,” said team boss Toto Wolff. “That’s why anger predominates at the moment.” The update package backfired. It's quite possible that Mercedes will scale back again. “Now we have to make sure we find the parts somewhere in the truck,” said Wolff.
Papa Verstappen: “It’s really going uphill again”
Verstappen was completely happy on this eventful race day - with himself and the team, which has been building the engine itself since this year. “We had a very complicated and difficult start to the year with all sorts of problems and were simply not competitive enough,” he recalled. However, there were already signs in the Grand Prix that it worked. “The victory was important for the whole team,” emphasized Verstappen’s visibly emotional father Jos: “It’s really going uphill again.”
However, after the first pole of the year, son Max had an incredibly bad start and was immediately overtaken by Antonelli with Russell in tow. The Dutchman quickly recovered from this four days after his 29th birthday. An early safety car phase also played into his hands - he was able to switch from the mixed tires for wet conditions to the slicks without wasting any time and caught both Mercedes drivers. The rest was Verstappen at his best, or as his team boss Laurant Mekkies said: “He was untouchable.”
