SEPANG, Malaysia (AP) — The start has been delayed again after several cars seemed to experience technical problems on the formation lap following heavy rain as Formula 1 holds its Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Heavy rain delayed the formation lap by 40 minutes and when it eventually got under way, Lewis Hamilton went slowly and briefly stopped on track before he got going again. Soon after, the start procedure was suspended.
“I’m pressing the throttle and nothing’s happening," he told the Ferrari team, who said they were investigating a software problem.
Hamilton was due to start second on the grid behind Max Verstappen, who also complained to the Red Bull team of acceleration issues.
This is due to be the first wet-weather race for F1 in 2026. This year's cars depend heavily on complex algorithms to use their electrical hybrid power.
The race was relocated because of the Iran war, becoming F1's first event at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia since 2017.
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Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar of France steers his car during the formation lap prior to the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Spectators with umbrella and rain covers gather on a hillside to watch the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Sepang, Malaysia, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv Sunday in a show of support as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The aerial war has intensified, with Moscow menacing cities across Ukraine with hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, while Kyiv has been striking Russia’s oil industry and businesses
“Ukraine is facing decisive weeks. That is why I traveled to Kyiv today with the message: You can rely on us,” Merz wrote on X, noting that Germany’s own security “also depends on the outcome of this war.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Merz would hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Writing on X, Sybiha said the agenda would focus on "strengthening Ukraine, our defense and resilience, and our shared European security.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday it would continue to carry out “mass retaliatory strikes” on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, urging foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the country. It previously issued a similar warning in May.
Russia invaded its neighbor more than 4½ years ago, and there are no concrete signs that a peace settlement might be possible. Fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line snaking through northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has been virtually deadlocked in recent months.
An apartment is seen burned out following a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Rescue workers extinguish a fire at a residential house destroyed by a Russian airstrike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
General of NATO Mark Rutte delivers a statemen during a visit of the 1. German-Netherlands Corps alongside the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetten, in Muenster, Germany, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
