FIA acknowledges Singapore qualifying Overtake Mode error

The FIA acknowledged that a human error in Race Control disrupted Overtake Mode during the first phase of Sprint Qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix, leaving some drivers with extra power and others without it. The system was activated for 27 seconds after the session restarted following a red flag, then switched off, the FIA said. The FIA said the error affected some cars according to the timing of their run and their position on the lap. It said the second and third qualifying periods were not affected. The FIA described the Overtake Mode problem as separate from a timing issue that also occurred during the first phase; the supplied information does not establish what caused that separate issue. Carlos Sainz, who qualified 22nd and last, said some drivers had an advantage of about half a second in power. He criticised the handling of the incident and questioned whether the FIA had applied sporting equity consistently. His comments were echoed by his own account of a difficult lap, but he said brake and tyre problems would also have made it difficult to advance.