The invention discloses a control method and a control system for delaying the thermal diffusion of a power battery pack. The control method comprises the following steps of acquiring the running state of a single battery of the power battery pack; judging whether a single battery subjected to thermal runaway exists or not according to the running state; if the thermal runaway single batteries exist, obtaining the state of the power battery pack; and if it is recognized that the power battery pack is in a power-off state, controlling the power supply state of a cooling system used for coolingthe power battery pack, so that the cooling system is in a circulating state. According to the control method for delaying the thermal diffusion of the power battery pack, when any single battery in the power battery pack is abnormally overheated, the heat generated by the thermal runaway single batteries can be diffused to other single batteries, so that the temperatures of the thermal runaway single batteries and the adjacent single batteries are reduced, the thermal runaway of the adjacent single batteries is delayed or prevented, enough emergency time is provided for a user, and the use safety of the power battery pack is improved.