FIA admits power-mode error affected Singapore sprint qualifying

The FIA acknowledged that human error created unequal conditions in the first segment of Singapore Grand Prix sprint qualifying. Overtake Mode was activated for only 27 seconds after a session stoppage.

SQ1 was interrupted by a red flag for debris from Sergio Perez's Cadillac. After running resumed, Overtake Mode, which provides additional power and is normally available throughout qualifying, remained switched off.

When the problem was noticed, the mode was enabled for 27 seconds and then disabled again. The FIA acknowledged that this affected certain cars according to the timing of their runs and their position around the lap. It said the second and third sprint qualifying segments were unaffected.

Williams driver Carlos Sainz failed to reach SQ2. He estimated that access to the mode offered an advantage of around half a second. That was the driver's assessment rather than an FIA calculation of the loss suffered by each car.

A separate timing problem also arose. The FIA said it was unrelated to the power-mode error. Max Verstappen ultimately took sprint pole ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc.