Embarrassing scenes at Sepang as Hamilton and several drivers suddenly stop on track

The starting procedure has been suspended, with several cars, including Lewis Hamilton's, coming to a halt on track, resulting in a further delay to the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix .

The seven-time world champion reported over the radio that he was unable to accelerate, forcing him to stop on track. Hamilton was eventually able to get going again after carrying out a software reset. Max Verstappen experienced a similar issue, although the Dutchman managed to continue without coming to a complete stop.

Esteban Ocon and Valtteri Bottas also encountered problems, bringing his car to a halt before eventually managing to resume. The cars have now returned to the pit lane before heading back onto the circuit for another attempt at beginning the race.