Disclosed is a method for identification of malfunctioning of a drill bit during drilling of hydrocarbon wells. The method includes measuring the penetration rate of the drill bit, measuring the drilling length, measuring the drilling mud concentration of at least one alkene gas species, measuring the torque at the drill bit, then analyzing the microscopic structure of the drilling cuttings on the basis of the values assumed by these measurements and on the basis of the observations of this microscopic structure. Finally the method generates an alert signal and returns the drill bit to the surface. The method facilitates a system for the early identification of drill bit malfunction due to wear, both in the case of fatigue and in the case of wrong initial choice of the type of drill bit with respect to the lithology of the rocks to be drilled.