FIA says human error left drivers without full power in SQ1

The FIA has admitted that a blunder in Race Control compromised several drivers during the opening segment of Sprint Qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix, leaving the field with unequal energy deployment during crucial late push laps.

The disruption began when Sergio Perez clipped the wall in his Cadillac, damaging his front wing and triggering a red flag in SQ1. When the session resumed with six minutes on the clock – providing a tight window for drivers to squeeze in two flying laps – race officials failed to re-enable "overtake mode."

The setting normally grants cars maximum energy usage for qualifying attempts rather than standard, restricted race-deployment modes.

As drivers hit the circuit, radio chatter quickly lit up with confusion. Mercedes driver George Russell was informed by his engineer that the power deficit was down to "an FIA settings issue at the moment," while other teams were similarly advised that the system glitched across the board.

Once Race Control realized the oversight, officials manually switched overtake mode back on – only to shut it off again a mere 27 seconds later.

That fleeting 27-second window created a uneven playing field. Drivers who happened to be on hot laps along high-speed stretches gained an immediate straightline speed boost, while others, stuck on out-laps or different sectors, missed out entirely.

The FIA subsequently acknowledged that the "unfortunate human error" directly altered car performance depending on track position, though governing officials noted it did not appear to alter which drivers were ultimately eliminated in SQ1.

Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar openly voiced his frustration over his radio regarding a sudden loss of power during his final attempt, while Mercedes and Audi’s drivers logged visibly lower top speeds heading toward Turn 7 on their penultimate runs before regaining normal pace on their final efforts.

Mounting pressure on Race Control

The mishap marks the second major administrative headache for the FIA in as many race weekends, coming just seven days after a software glitch derailed the initial start sequence in Malaysia.

Compounding the frustration in Singapore, the power deployment mix-up coincided with a separate, unrelated timing system breakdown in SQ1 that failed to register several lap times.

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• Singapore GP: Verstappen stuns to snatch Sprint Qualifying pole

That glitch forced a delay to the start of SQ2 while officials manually verified lap data and confirmed the session order. While the governing body acted quickly to clarify the timeline, the consecutive operational stumbles raise fresh questions as the paddock prepares for the main event.

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