Lawson reveals Verstappen's impact after Mexican GP clash

Max Verstappen jokes about rain threat in Brazil: "I've installed antivirus now!"

F1 drivers could once again face rain in Brazil, although Verstappen responds with a joke when asked whether he fears a repeat of the power unit software bug seen in Malaysia.

The first wet race with Formula 1’s 2026 cars did not exactly prove to be a resounding success.

During the formation laps behind the safety car at the Sepang International Circuit, almost half the field came to a halt.

The issue turned out to be a software bug linked to the 250kW restrictions imposed by the FIA for wet-weather races.

That software bug caused the electric motors to go into lock-down mode in the slowest parts of the circuit.

With no electric power available to offset the turbo lag, nothing happened when the drivers pressed the throttle pedal.

In Malaysia, the restrictions were lifted for the most problematic minisectors, with the FIA sending new software to the teams and manufacturers after approximately 20 minutes.

They were then able to install the updated version in their power units to finally get the race under way.

The same emergency measure was subsequently applied in Singapore, before a test with modified software followed in Austin.

At the Circuit of the Americas, the FIA issued the following statement: "As part of the ongoing refinements to the Power Unit software for low grip mode, the FIA together with the teams and Power Unit manufacturers will run a simulation at the end of FP1, with cars running on low grip mode, using specific driver inputs during the in-lap to test additional software protections."

"This will mean that cars will be running for a short distance at low speed at Turn 15 at the end of the session."

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis had already explained in Malaysia that the bug had only come to light during the race because the FIA had not been able to carry out sufficient testing with the 2026 cars in wet conditions beforehand.

In response to a question from Motorsport.com, he confirmed that he could guarantee this specific bug would not occur again, although he added that he could not rule out all bugs.

Given the weather forecast for Sao Paulo, there is a possibility that F1 drivers will once again encounter rain this weekend.

Asked during the FIA press conference whether the drivers are confident that the Sepang debacle will not be repeated, Max Verstappen joked: "I have installed antivirus now!"

The 2026 regulations introduced a new power unit formula with a much larger electrical component than previous years.

Under these rules, the internal combustion engine and the electric motor work together to produce around 1,000 horsepower, with the electric motor contributing roughly 350kW.

In wet conditions, the FIA mandates a reduced power output for safety, limiting the electric motor to 250kW.

This restriction is intended to prevent drivers from losing control in low-grip situations, but the software governing the transition between dry and wet modes proved unreliable in Malaysia.

The Sepang race was the first time the 2026 cars had run in significant wet weather, and the FIA admitted that pre-season testing had not covered enough wet-running scenarios.

Tombazis told Motorsport.com that the FIA had learned from the incident and implemented software changes, but he stopped short of guaranteeing perfection.

"I can guarantee this specific bug will not occur again," he said.

"But I cannot rule out all bugs."

The Austin test involved a simulation run at the end of FP1, where cars drove on low-grip mode using specific driver inputs during the in-lap.

This was designed to check whether the updated software protections worked as intended under controlled conditions.

The FIA statement from Austin indicated that the test was successful, but no detailed results were released.

Now, with rain forecast for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the question is whether the fix holds up under real racing pressure.

Verstappen's joke about installing antivirus software was a clear reference to the Malaysia bug, but his lighthearted tone did not fully mask the underlying concern.