Formula 1’s governing body has admitted that a mistake in race control affected Sprint Qualifying in Singapore. An official failed to switch the cars’ extra engine power back on after a red flag, and when it was restored it stayed on for only 27 seconds. Carlos Sainz, who was eliminated, was not impressed.
The FIA has admitted that a “human error” in race control affected Sprint Qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix, ESPN reported on October 9.
It was the sport’s second technical mishap in less than a week.
What Went Wrong
- The first part of the session was red-flagged because of debris from Sergio Pérez’s Cadillac.
- A red flag automatically suspends “overtake mode”, the extra engine power available to drivers, for safety reasons.
- The mode can only be switched back on manually, by an FIA official in race control.
- When the session resumed, that did not happen.
- After drivers and teams pointed it out, the mode was switched on, for 27 seconds.
- It was then switched off again, because race control was concerned about sporting fairness.
The effect on each driver depended on where they were on the track during their timed laps.
Sainz: ‘Half a Second Quicker’
Williams driver Carlos Sainz was one of those eliminated in that first part of the session.
“Half of the cars did the lap with half a second quicker engine than the others,” he said. “There was another software issue with the cars, this time around we were on the bad end of it.”
Also eliminated were Arvid Lindblad, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas and Pérez.
The FIA’s Statement
The governing body confirmed “a human error in Race Control unrelated to the timing issue also encountered in SQ1”.
“The FIA acknowledges that this unfortunate human error had an impact on the performance of certain cars based on the timing of their run and their position around the lap,” it said.
It added that the second and third parts of Sprint Qualifying were not affected.
What Happens Now
The session set the grid for Saturday’s Sprint race.
The next steps are unclear, ESPN reported, though the teams affected are free to protest the outcome.
Not the First Problem
The incident follows the previous race, held in Malaysia, where an engine-related problem delayed the start and drew sharp criticism from drivers.
Image: Carlos Sainz’s Williams at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix (file photo). Photo by Liauzh via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
