Following the software bug that left cars crawling on the formation lap at the Bahrain / Malaysian GP, there's a fair bit of misinformation going round about how engine modes work. So let's dive in. Every car runs the same standard ECU, the central unit controlling the engine. It's made by Motion Applied, formerly McLaren Applied. Not the F1 McLaren. A different McLaren. The ECU is loaded with two separate sets of modes: the team's and the FIA's. The team's modes are their racing modes: qualifying, race, energy saving, recharge, "party mode", etc. The FIA's modes are safety modes: VSC, wet running, etc. Sunday's bug was in the wet-weather energy management, which cuts maximum electrical deployment from 350kW to 250kW in certain sectors. The FIA's software is developed together with the teams, and the same release goes to every competitor. Everyone runs identical safety modes, and everyone can see that they do. The only way to load or update modes is to physically connect a computer to the car via the umbilical and transfer the configuration to the ECU. No over-the-air updates, neither from the FIA or the teams. Which is exactly why Sunday's fix took time. The FIA issued updated software to all teams, and each team then had to install it on their own cars before the race could start. Nor can anyone remotely activate a mode. Modes are selected by the driver on the steering wheel. When a driver asks for more power, the team doesn't flip a switch. They tell him which combination of inputs gets him there. Same with the safety modes. If race control decides conditions call for one, it isn't a remote command that switches the modes. It's a message to teams and drivers to select it. Once a mode is active, the software in the car makes decisions by itself, such as limiting deployment sector by sector. That's what went wrong on Sunday. Code already in the car misbehaving, not someone in race control pressing a button. Tldr: Race Control doesn't have a remote control for engine modes.

Another day, another round of fake news - This time accounts sharing photos of Toto Wolff boarding Max Verstappen's jet, claiming it's from Sardinia. They're fake. The screenshots are from a plane spotting video after the 2022 Zandvoort GP, where Wolff boards his own private jet, which have been photoshopped to look like Verstappen's jet. The original post included an AI generated image of Wolff and Verstappen kissing, indicating that it was clearly a joke - but other accounts simply removed that image, and only reposted the others, reporting it as fact. Below is the photoshopped image and the original screenshot from the 2022 video in Schiphol airport.

F1 has a red flag problem, and it's not how often (or how rarely) it flies. A red flag shouldn’t be a free, race-changing pitstop. Here's my take on what should change. #F1 #Formula1 raceweekrecap.com/2024/11/08…

It's official: Daniel Riccardo's last race with @visacashapprb was the Singapore GP. He will not be in the car for the US GP. #F1 #Formula1

Are ya' ready kids? It's time for another Race Week Recap! Here's what's new in F1 since last week: - Aston Martin announced Honda engine partnership - Mercedes announced Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025 - Adrian Newey reportedly close to being announced at Aston Martin - Ferrari confirm Loic Serra will be their new Technical Director Chassis when he joins the team in October - FIA statement: "All front wings are currently compliant with the 2024 regulations" - Liam Lawson tested both the RB20 and the VCARB01 at Monza Tuesday and Wednesday - Audi adjust their expectations for their 2026 F1 debut - Ferrari partner Santander leaves the team, switches to an F1 corporate partnership instead - Resurfacing work at Interlagos has begun - Dorna and FIM renew MotoGP agreement until 2060 - Formula E will race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit from 2025 - Formula 3 has unveiled the next generation car to be used from 2025 - Formula 3 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli joins Invicta Racing in Formula 2 for 2025 - Jenzer Motorsport confirmed they will no longer compete in Formula 3 - A new, lighter IndyCar chassis is in the works - NASCAR will use McLaren electronic control units "through 2030 and beyond" - Tyler Reddick had a really bad time in the car during the NASCAR Cook Out Southern 500 - Hulu is working on a new comedy series focussed around a racing team owner - Octane Racing Group, the organiser of the Canadian Grand Prix, has been sold to telecom and media company Bell - The Las Vegas Grand Prix adds Ferrari Challenge support race Did I miss anything? #F1 #Formula1 #F2 #F3 #NASCAR #IndyCar #MotoGP

For everyone asking: No, Norris didn't serve his penalty before his retirement, but since he finished enough of the race to be classified, the 5 seconds are added to his time and counts as served. No risk of penalty carrying over to the British GP. #F1 #Formula1 #AustrianGP

Full Haas F1 Team statement on the departure of Guenther Steiner. In short: Ayao Komatsu replaces Steiner as Team Principal and a COO will be named to oversee business operations. #F1 #Formula1

Alpha Tauri confirms Tsunoda and Ricciardo for 2024. Word is that Lawson has agreed to a reserve / simulator role in 2024, in exchange for a contractual obligation for Red Bull or Alpha Tauri to give him a race seat in 2025. #Formula1 #F1