Formula 1’s return to the Sepang International Circuit for the first time since 2017 was a memorable one for Max Verstappen. Not only had Verstappen won that final Malaysian Grand Prix back in 2017, but this weekend he secured pole position for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia — his first pole position in nearly a calendar year — but he picked up his first win of the season by taking the checkered flag.

But the main story might just be what did, and did not, happen when the lights went out at the start of the race.

Between downpours, and a “software issue,” the start of the race was delayed twice, first for 40 minutes due to the rain, and then for another 33 minutes after a failed start in the wet conditions.

When F1 tried to start the race after the initial 40-minute delay, race stewards called for at least two exploratory formation laps, hoping to get the race underway as conditions improved. But during that first speed-controlled lap, Verstappen reported over the radio that his Red Bull was struggling to accelerate.

Lewis Hamilton, set to start second, reported even more problems, which sent him down the pecking order on the grid. Hamilton eventually came to a halt on pit lane while Haas and Cadillac cars — also using Ferrari power units — came to stops at various points on the track.

That led to the second delay, as the cars were restored to their original positions on the grid, and the teams worked through various software updates to rectify the loss of power. The starting procedure was again suspended:

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained the issue to Sky Sports F1 during the second delay. “All the teams have been sent some new parameters to load into the cars as well which is happening up and down the grid,” said Lord. “There may have been something, a sort of software issue of some kind that was behind some of the difficulties we saw earlier.”

Eventually, the race began, and Verstappen secured his first win of the season ahead of Antonelli and Hamilton. But the pre-race chaos was the major talking point after the checkered flag.

“You know, these engines are so complicated and a lot of software is implemented. And, yeah, when there’s like some kind of… I want to call it… That’s the problem. And, yeah, I triggered it first and then I look in my mirror, I just see… I was like, “Wait, are they waiting for me or what’s going…?” It was like the Lego race,“ described Verstappen in the FIA Press Conference, referencing the LEGO Drivers’ Parades that F1 has implemented ahead of a few races.

That was ahead of this sequence from Verstappen and Hamilton:

Hamilton: “Well, I had to stop on track and stop the car and engine and restart it. I’ve never done that before.”
Verstappen: “Yeah, what can you say? I mean, that’s not what you want, right, for the sport.”
Hamilton: “Yeah, I hope there is a lesson learned.”

Hamilton: “No, but it was because they had to update the software and then you have to load it into the car. I guess some had some faster laptops than others,“ said Hamilton when asked about the delay.
Verstappen: “Yeah, that was the delay, just getting the software transferred, I guess, for everyone.

Many drivers questioned the decision to allows the cars that had stopped the chance to start the race, including Fernando Alonso. “It’s the first time I see it,” he said. “I had half of the races this year with DNF and we never stopped the race. I hope they can do it next time we stop.”

Following the race the FIA, F1’s governing body, issued a statement promising a “full review” of the issue, and highlighting an “unprecedented combination” of factors at the start of the race:

“On the formation lap ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, an unprecedented combination of low engine speed, low-grip conditions, wet-weather energy management settings and the Sepang circuit’s sector configuration led to an unintended loss of power for a number of cars,” began the statement.

“As a result, the FIA Technical Department removed the energy limit constraint in the affected sectors through an updated software release distributed to all competitors during the race delay caused by heavy rain enabling teams to make the necessary changes to the power unit before the start of the race.

“This issue had not been detected by the FIA or the teams during testing or during the laps to the grid. The FIA, together with the teams and power unit manufacturers, will undertake a full review of the issue.”

With his second-place finish, and a retirement from teammate George Russell, Antonelli moved a step closer to securing his first F1 Drivers’ Championship. The young Mercedes driver now has an 84-point lead over Russell, as the season enters its closing stretch.

F1 returns to action next weekend with the Singapore Grand Prix.