During the Bahrain Grand Prix warm-up lap, a software fault affected several power units and caused battery-related failures on multiple cars. The FIA responded by reinstalling software and temporarily lifting power restrictions to get the race running, according to reporting picked up by RacingNews365 and summarized by XSPORT.
McLaren’s Lando Norris publicly condemned the new technical regulations after the incident, calling the rules “terrible” and saying “all the problems were in the code and the battery operation.” Norris argued much of the new electronics were unnecessary. The report also notes Max Verstappen took the race victory, his first of the 2026 season.