Lewis Hamilton is trying to recover his race now and is telling his Ferrari pit wall the tyres are starting to work now. But George Russell in the Mercedes tells his team to stick with intermediates for now.

Kimi Antonelli leads this now 55-lap race, as Russell is under pressure from Max Verstappen for second place.

Sam Bird
Former Formula E driver on 5 Sports Extra

The Williams of Carlos Sainz up to P7 for the Williams.

Look at where Lewis Hamilton is, he is the leader of the pack when it comes to slick tyre runners but he's down in P10, we can't see him.

Charles Leclerc has come into the pits to dump this soft tyres and is now running in last place. Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton has tumbled all the way down to 17th spot. It's a slow stop for Leclerc as he needed a front wing change.

Liam Lawson has climbed to fourth from 11th place at the delayed start, while Carlos Sainz has lifted himself to sixth from 13th.

Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Bortoleto come in and switch to the intermediates and now we're going to get going proper.

The lights go out and Kimi Antonelli instantly passes Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton for the lead of this race!

Hamilton has dropped way down on his softs to 10th place, but Verstappen, after losing places, is back up to third.

George Russell is up to second spot, so Mercedes make the call to tell their drivers to "work together".

The green intermediates tyres have done the business.

Image source, Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton calls in to Ferrari as the cars file behind the safety car and highlights the slippery conditions out there. Pierre Gasly was on the soft compound when he spun off, and a message flashes it's a standing start. Oscar Piastri is told to "box box" by McLaren.

"Track's really wet still. It’s so slippery guys. It’s dangerous."

"There's still a bit of spray though. I think we have to stay out [on wet tyres]."

Image source, Getty Images

Max Verstappen has opted for the intermediate tyres to start on, but other cars on the grid have gone with the slicks, including Lewis Hamilton, who the timing screen says is on a set of the soft compound.

There is a real mix of tyres out there, but Verstappen says there is still spray on the track - and now Pierre Gasly goes off and onto the grass!

Sam Bird
Former Formula E driver on 5 Sports Extra

It's been very tricky, there has been a huge amount of tyre degradation throughout the whole paddock. Everybody has been complaining about it, I think that the track, the tarmac, has worsened since we were last here nine years ago. It has been a real, real struggle.

This has been a long delay for the drivers but with the announcement the race will start at 4:33pm local time, it's time to refocus and suit up once again.

Max Verstappen is on pole position, Lewis Hamilton will be alongside him and championship leader Kimi Antonelli is lining up just behind the pair in third.

BBC weather forecaster Ian Fergusson has just told us no further rain is expected.

Race control say the grand prix will start in 10 minutes' time, so if you want a tea or coffee before we get going again, do it now.

If you're just joining us this morning, welcome in! It's been an eventful few hours in Malaysia, first with the heavy showers and then with software gremlins causing a few cars with Ferrari power units to come to a stop on the formation lap.

Lewis Hamilton was the main headline of those stoppages, but the seven-time world champion will start in his original P2 spot despite the mixed up order when everyone returned to the pit lane under a red flag.

Fernando Alonso is hanging over the barriers, taking a look at the conditions more than an hour after the original start time of this race.

The Spanish two-time world champion has been in great form so far this weekend and will take his place 12th on the grid. Aston Martin team-mate Lance Stroll also made it through to Q2 yesterday and starts 14th, so a positive Saturday overall for the team.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

I've worked out what the problem is with the start order thing. Article B of the sporting regulations 5.6.4, says overtaking during the formation lap is only permitted if an F1 car is delayed and F1 cars behind cannot avoid passing it without unduly delaying the remainder of the field.

We are certain that happened. In this case, drivers may only overtake to re-establish the starting order. Any driver delayed in this way and who is unable to re-establish the starting order before they reach the first safety car line, must enter the pitlane and start from the pitlane. That was what they were working out.

Image source, Getty Images

The track is drying out at a rapid pace, but this software issue and resulting messy formation lap has thrown a mega spanner in the works.

Race control have just flashed a message to say the original grid order will be used for the race start, so Lewis Hamlton will keep his place on the front row alongside Max Verstappen.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

I've just been in touch with the FIA, asking about what the delay is. I was told, they are establishing how to re-start the race with the correct order, although some cars are on different laps.

I don't think they were on different laps because the race hadn't started. I am a bit confused about that.

Postpublished at 08:59 BST 4 October

08:59 BST 4 October

The Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia should've started an hour ago, but after the heavy rain delayed lights out, we're now stuck in limbo following that chaotic formation lap behind the safety car.

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari came to a stop because of a software issue. The seven-time world champion found himself at the back of the field, but the FIA has just said the likelihood is the original grid order will be used to start this 56-lap race.

Image source, Getty Images