Martin Brundle believes Formula 1 may be pushing its operational systems too hard, with a series of technical problems raising questions about reliability amid an increasingly demanding racing calendar.
A software fault disrupted preparations for the Bahrain Grand Prix at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit, while timing difficulties and a separate race-control error caused further confusion during sprint qualifying in Singapore the following weekend.
For Brundle, the incidents point to a wider concern about fatigue across a championship that demands extraordinary precision from teams, officials and technical staff.
The Malaysian problem emerged in wet conditions when several cars suffered unexpected power losses during the formation laps. Restrictions on energy deployment, combined with low engine speeds, caused some power units to lose more power than intended in certain sectors.
The FIA issued an emergency software configuration that allowed the race to proceed and subsequently confirmed that an updated wet-weather system would be introduced for the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
“They found a solution, made a patch, the teams put it on their cars, and we all went racing,” Brundle said, although he noted that one team needed additional time to approve the fix.
“But there was clearly a problem, in a zone we weren’t expecting, on a particular sector of the lap. It was wrong. It shouldn’t be, but it was.”
Singapore brought fresh difficulties, with missing lap times forcing officials to verify the sprint qualifying classification. A separate error following Sergio Perez’s crash meant overtake mode was not properly reactivated when the session resumed, temporarily denying several drivers their expected electrical boost.
Brundle believes the incidents reflect pressure on the sport’s increasingly complicated infrastructure.
“I tell you what I think I’m seeing is fatigue. We’ve got six races in seven weekends, nine in 11. We parachute into temporary facilities like this, random bits of concrete and asphalt around the world,” he said.
“I think we’re just stressing the system a little bit, but it shouldn’t happen in the world of Formula 1.”
His criticism does not extend to the engineering sophistication of modern cars, which he believes remains central to the sport’s appeal.
“I love driving them,” he said, arguing that Formula 1 must preserve its technical ambition while ensuring its software, timing and race-control systems remain dependable under pressure.
