That was my take - there was a low-power mode/rain mode that was killing power in unexpected ways. Probably trivial to unclip that flag or comment out that bit of code and run "normal mode" instead.
What IS annoying is nobody bothered to test this "rain mode" (or whatever setting it was that they removed between the aborted formation lap and actual race start) prior to racing in Sepang on the cusp of monsoon season.
Essentially there wasn't enough power going to the turbo which was causing it to spool down. They just allowed more of the electrical power to be used in order to keep the cars running.
