Sports · Motorsport · 15 hrs ago
FIA admits Singapore sprint qualifying mistake compromised fairness
Sprint qualifying at Formula 1’s Singapore Grand Prix was disrupted after Sergio Perez crashed and the session was stopped.
When it restarted, race control failed to reactivate Overtake Mode, which gives cars extra power.
The system was briefly switched on for 27 seconds, then turned off again.
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said a computer alert was not handled quickly enough, and pressure in race control contributed to the mistake.
Drivers who were knocked out in the first qualifying phase said they had been treated unfairly, and Tombazis acknowledged that some were affected more than others.
The official timing system also had a problem, with some lap times not registered at first.
The FIA said it is analysing what happened to help prevent a repeat.
The FIA said its handling of overtake mode during Singapore Grand Prix sprint qualifying compromised fairness.
The issue affected the end of SQ1 after Sergio Perez crashed and the session was red-flagged.
Race control failed to reactivate overtake mode, briefly switched it on for 27 seconds, then deactivated it again.
Drivers complained about a lack of power, and those eliminated in SQ1 felt they were unfairly disadvantaged.
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said the federation was analysing the error to prevent it happening again.
- Who
- The FIA, including single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, and drivers in sprint qualifying.
- What
- The FIA admitted that its handling of overtake mode compromised fairness during the end of SQ1.
- When
- During the Singapore Grand Prix sprint qualifying session. The date of the session is not stated.
- Where
- The Singapore Grand Prix.
- Why
- A pop-up on a race control computer was not acted on quickly enough, and the reactivation process was later mishandled.
The FIA
Drivers eliminated in SQ1
Fairness
The FIA
The FIA said the overtake mode error interfered with the results and compromised fairness.
Drivers eliminated in SQ1
Drivers eliminated in the first phase felt they unfairly came off worse.
our top priorities are always safety and fairness.
We're not happy about it, because it affected some drivers more and some drivers less
a bit of a mess, quite frankly
Sergio Perez crashed, leaving debris on track and prompting a red flag.
Overtake mode was activated and deactivated during the final six minutes, and the timing system failed to register some lap times initially.
The FIA identified the overtake mode problem and acknowledged that it had interfered with the results.
- Session
- Singapore Grand Prix sprint qualifying, SQ1
- Trigger
- Sergio Perez crash and red flag
- Overtake mode
- Briefly reactivated for 27 seconds before being deactivated again
- FIA official
- Nikolas Tombazis, single-seater director
- Timing system
- Some lap times were not initially registered at the end of the session
Sources
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