Bahrain Grand Prix gets underway at Sepang after long rain delay

SEPANG, Malaysia, Oct 4 : The Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia descended into chaos on Sunday as heavy rain at the Sepang circuit triggered multiple delays and a suspended start procedure that left drivers scrambling in treacherous conditions.

What should have been a routine 3 p.m. (0700 GMT) start turned into a soggy saga when the FIA delayed the start to allow sweepers and marshals to tackle a significant amount of standing water that made conditions unsuitable for racing.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen is on pole position, his first of the season, with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton alongside him on the front row. Mercedes' championship leader Kimi Antonelli will start third on the grid.

Once the thundershowers eased to a drizzle, the drivers returned to their cars for what many expected would be a straightforward formation lap at 3:40 p.m.

Race control ordered two laps behind the safety car with all teams opting for intermediate tyres, but the wet-weather chaos was only beginning.

Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, who had qualified third-fastest but was demoted to eighth due to a grid penalty, aquaplaned on the first formation lap and careered into the gravel.

Even pole-sitter Verstappen struggled with acceleration problems, complaining on the radio before he got the car moving again.

Hamilton then encountered a software issue causing him to stop on the back straight and race control eventually suspended the start procedure as the cars returned to the pit lane, with the Briton coming in last.

"The track is drying crazily quick," Antonelli noted after the suspension, highlighting the rapidly changing conditions.

As confusion reigned over the new starting order after cars entered the pit lane in a different order, the FIA announced that positions would revert to the original grid.

But this time some drivers, like Verstappen, opted for the intermediate tyres while others opted for dry tyres on a rapidly-drying track, although Alpine's Pierre Gasly gamble did not work initially as he slid off in the formation lap.

"The track's pretty wet. It's so slippery, guys, it's dangerous," Hamilton said on the radio as the cars completed two laps behind the safety car before a standing start.

Malaysia is hosting the Bahrain race due to the conflict in the Middle East.