> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Was it 'unfair' not to penalise stricken F1 cars in Malaysia? - URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/was-it-unfair-not-to-penalise-stricken-f1-cars-in-malaysia/ - Published: 2026-10-04T18:46:27.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-04T18:46:27.000Z - Description: Fernando Alonso reckons the cars that slowed in the Bahrain GP formation lap farce should've been handled differently - Author: Josh Suttill - Tags: Formula 1, #fernando-alonso, #aston-martin, #bahrain-grand-prix, #secondary_feature_1 Fernando Alonso believes it was unfair that the stricken cars were allowed to start Formula 1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, as "they never stopped a race" for an Aston Martin grinding to a halt this year. There was chaos at the attempted start of F1's first race in Malaysia in nine years as several cars encountered issues, crawling or coming to a halt, for what's now been [diagnosed as a "software bug"](https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/software-bug-that-triggered-f1s-malaysia-chaos-explained/) with the 2026 power units. But it did not affect Alonso's Aston Martin Honda. He'd overtaken the ailing Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton and would have taken the restart 11th, on the fringes of the points. But with that start abandoned, the order was reset to that of the starting grid for the next (successful) attempt to start the race - a decision Alonso still wasn't pleased with after the race, despite finishing eighth. He said: "I think I had 50% DNF this year. They never stopped the race for us." Asked by The Race if it was unfair, Alonso said: "100%. I mean, this is motor racing…if it's a safety concern, I get it. If there are five cars in the middle of the road or whatever, we have to stop the race and we need to see what's going on. "But I think they were out of the race. They were out, even on the \[start/finish pit\]wall. They had to push it two metres, the marshals, and retire the car - like we do in 50% of the races. "It's the first time I see it, but right now I don't have all the info, so maybe there is a clear explanation and it's OK. I'm not too concerned." What was going through his mind when he saw other cars stranded? Alonso said: "The same thing that goes through their mind when they see the Aston Martin stop, I guess. Sad on one side because they have a problem, good because you have one car less in the race." Alonso was speaking before the FIA publicly explained that there was a software bug. It sent a software update for all teams to download before the actual race start, so it's possible he'll revise his opinion in the days to come now he knows the cause of the problem. The key difference to Alonso's DNFs - he's retired from 37.5% of grands prix this year - is that they have all been down to Aston Martin Honda's own reliability issues. The software glitch issue that struck the likes of Hamilton was an issue with an FIA-supplied software, outside of the team or drivers' control. ## What the regulations say There are specific regulations over starting procedures being suspended, as was the case after the formation lap chaos. Article B5.14.1 of the FIA's sporting regulations says: "If at any time after the formation laps behind the safety car have commenced, track conditions are considered unsuitable to start the \[session\], the message "STARTING PROCEDURE SUSPENDED" will be sent to all competitors. "Red flags will be shown at all marshal posts and at the control line, and the orange lights on the start gantry will be illuminated. "All F1 cars must enter the pitlane behind the safety car. "The first F1 car to arrive in the pitlane should proceed directly to the pitlane exit…All the other F1 cars should form up in a line behind the first F1 car in the order they entered the pitlane behind the safety car when the starting procedure was suspended." But that order is subject to change by the time the race is properly restarted, which is what allowed Hamilton to reclaim his second place. There are rules around "Any driver who caused an aborted start and is then subsequently able to start must start from the end of the pitlane", but this didn't apply to Hamilton because the start was aborted for multiple drivers' issues, outside of their or their cars' control. So it could have been a different story had Hamilton spun off by himself and caused the suspended start. ## What others said Aston Martin's chief trackside officer Mike Krack called it "a difficult subject" when The Race put Alonso's comments to him. "I think it was really the only thing the FIA could have done at that point. The race had not started, so this was the formation lap. The race had not started, and they aborted. "Obviously, we need to review the whole thing. It was a bit chaotic. I think for everyone, nobody really knew what was going on. "But, at the end of the day, if you zoom out, I think it was the right thing to do." Mercedes would have also benefited as Hamilton's demise would have been a place gained for both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, but deputy team boss Bradley Lord felt the right decision was made. "I think it was a slightly unprecedented situation," Lord said. "Likewise, formally speaking, the starting procedure hadn't happened, we were in the middle of formation laps before a call had been made, and so it felt like the, in the moment maybe if you felt advantaged or disadvantaged, it felt right or wrong, but overall it was the common sense thing to do. "If you think of the millions of people watching around the world, they tune in for the start and suddenly the cars are all in a jumbled-up order because of something that happened 40 minutes earlier and was behind the safety car on a formation lap. "I think that would have been a much harder thing to explain than resetting and then going from where we did, and it was pretty exciting when that happened."