The FIA has admitted that a human error in Race Control affected Sprint Qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix, after Overtake Mode was not reactivated following a red flag and was then briefly switched on while cars were already completing flying laps. The mistake created unequal power availability during SQ1 and triggered strong criticism from Carlos Sainz after he was eliminated.
The incident came less than a week after the chaotic events in Malaysia and added another controversy to Formula 1’s Asian run. This time, the problem unfolded at Marina Bay during Singapore Sprint Qualifying, with several drivers left frustrated by circumstances outside their control.
FIA forgets to reactivate Overtake Mode after red flag
The sequence began early in the session when the red flag was shown because of debris left on track by Sergio Pérez’s car. Under the regulations, the extra engine map associated with Overtake Mode is automatically disabled in such circumstances for safety reasons, removing the additional electrical power that can be deployed by the power units.
Because this is a safety procedure, Overtake Mode does not automatically reactivate when the session restarts. An FIA official must manually enable it from Race Control before the cars return to the circuit to complete their timed laps.
However, when the pit lane reopened and the drivers headed back onto the track to fight for places in SQ2, the system had not been switched back on. The drivers and teams themselves noticed the problem, reporting over team radio that the expected additional power was missing.
Overtake Mode activated for only 27 seconds
Race Control then attempted to correct the error while the cars were already in the middle of their flying laps. Overtake Mode was activated for just 27 seconds before being switched off again amid concerns that leaving it enabled could further compromise the fairness of the session.
The attempted correction instead created an even greater disparity. Because the cars were positioned at completely different points around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, some drivers were able to benefit from the additional power at important sections of their laps while others were not.
Carlos Sainz was among those most heavily affected, finishing last in SQ1 and being eliminated alongside team-mate Alex Albon, Arvid Lindblad, Lance Stroll and the Cadillac pair of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez. The published Singapore Sprint Qualifying classification confirmed Carlos Sainz in 22nd position.
FIA admits human error in Singapore Race Control
After the session, the FIA issued an official statement accepting responsibility for what had happened.
“The FIA confirms a human error in Race Control, unrelated to the timing issue also experienced in SQ1. When it became clear that Overtake Mode was not active following the restart, it was activated for a period of 27 seconds before being deactivated again.
“The FIA acknowledges that this unfortunate human error had an impact on the performance of some cars depending on the timing of their lap and their position on track. The second and third Sprint Qualifying sessions were not affected.”
Despite that admission, the results of the session remained in place. The affected teams retain the right to lodge a formal protest, although the options available to the stewards appear limited. Cancelling the qualifying result would create an unprecedented situation, while there are no clear regulations providing a simple mechanism for reconstructing the Sprint grid.
Carlos Sainz questions FIA sporting fairness
Carlos Sainz made no attempt to hide his frustration with how the situation had been managed.
“Half the cars did the lap with an engine that was half a second more powerful than the others. There was yet another software problem on the cars and this time we found ourselves on the wrong side of it.”
The Williams driver then questioned the consistency of Race Control’s decision-making, directly comparing Singapore with what had happened at Sepang the previous Sunday.
“For some reason the FIA, unlike what it did at Sepang, did not decide to protect sporting fairness and was happy to let half the cars run qualifying with more power than the other half.
“I’m a little confused as to why this sport keeps acting differently depending on who gets knocked out in Q1 or who goes out on the first lap.”
His frustration centred not merely on the technical malfunction itself, but on the decision to allow the session to continue after it became clear that drivers had received different levels of power at different stages of their laps.
James Vowles and Lance Stroll react to the FIA mistake
Williams team principal James Vowles also called for a detailed investigation while acknowledging that the incident did not fully explain his team’s performance.
“We trust that the FIA will thoroughly analyse what happened. This issue does not change the fact that our car’s performance is not yet at the level we want. Without this problem, we would have had the potential to get both cars into the second phase of Sprint Qualifying, but now we will focus on maximising tomorrow’s result.”
Lance Stroll was also left frustrated after failing to progress in the second Aston Martin, unlike Fernando Alonso.
“So far I have struggled to find the right feeling with the car at this circuit and, without Overtake Mode available on my second push lap, I lost every chance of fighting to get into Q2.”
The incident has therefore left the FIA facing fresh scrutiny over its operational procedures, particularly because Singapore is hosting its first Sprint weekend in 2026, with only one practice session before competitive running begins. The compressed Marina Bay Sprint format already leaves teams with little margin for error, making an intervention from Race Control especially consequential.
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