New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) The FIA has concluded its investigation into the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia software bug and has confirmed that it will keep the software fixes in place for the Singapore GP this weekend.
A software bug had delayed the start of the Bahrain GP last weekend after heavy rain pushed the start back. The cars were to perform two formation laps before the start of the Grand Prix in Sepang, but the bug delayed the proceedings further.
As the cars took their formation lap, some of the machines slowed down considerably, with the likes of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Pérez and Nico Hulkenberg suffering speed issues. Some cars crawled as the start of the race was delayed further.
The FIA said that those cars experienced an unintended loss of power when they were operating at low engine speeds in sections of the circuit where a 250kW power reduction had been applied.
“As a result, the configuration established for the Sepang event will be reinstated for the Singapore Grand Prix should similar weather conditions be expected. Additionally, a further update to the wet weather software will be released for the United States Grand Prix on October 25,” the FIA said in a statement.
“The review also recommended that measures would be implemented for testing of the software, recognising that opportunities for testing are limited, to make it as robust as possible. The FIA, together with the teams and Power Unit Manufacturers (PUMs), will continue to strengthen Power Unit software testing and verification capabilities, enhancing the overall validation process through independent assessment and collaborative feedback, including input from the supplier of the standardised Electronics Control Unit (ECU),” it added.
The FIA further brushed aside comments that the software was not tested beforehand, stating that the teams had conducted simulation exercises. “The FIA would like to address comments suggesting that the software had not been tested prior to its deployment. Before implementation, teams and Power Unit manufacturers conducted simulation exercises to validate the software package, which was subsequently tested in full-scale running during Free Practice 1 sessions at both the Belgian Grand Prix and the Dutch Grand Prix,” it added.
It also provided details of the timeline of the sequence and the efforts of the F1’s governing body over the issue. “15:45: The race start procedure was suspended following two formation laps after a number of cars experienced power loss issues.
“15:50: Within five minutes of the suspension the FIA technical team had identified the cause of the issue and released an updated Power Unit software configurations designed to address the problem.
“16:03: Eighteen minutes after the suspension the FIA provided teams with further technical guidance and clarifications in response to implementation, installation and operation of the revised software configurations.
“16:20: Teams and Power Unit manufacturers then completed the integration process, with all competitors ready to start the race approximately 20 minutes later.
16:22: The 10-minutes signal to start the race was issued. 16:33: Cars left the pit lane for the race start procedure,” FIA further detailed.
–IANS
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