McLaren team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged that Formula 1 faces completely different challenges under the 2026 regulations, with the Malaysia race marking the sport's first wet weather conditions for the new generation of complex power units. The start was aborted after numerous cars suffered crippling software bugs during formation laps at Sepang.
Stella explained that Formula 1 has done excellent work making the new regulations function for racing and entertainment, but occasional glitches must be accepted when dealing with such technological complexity. He noted that teams experience many issues every weekend, so common software problems affecting everyone require acceptance and support.
The Italian emphasized the importance of avoiding repeat incidents like Malaysia while showing understanding for what happened. He stressed that when there is significant novelty in regulations, some aspects inevitably need tuning and adjustment over time.