The FIA has admitted that "human error" created a power disparity during Sprint Qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix. Following a red flag for debris in SQ1 caused by Cadillac's Sergio Perez, the FIA failed to activate Overtake Mode, an extra power boost normally active throughout qualifying and used in races to aid overtaking.
The FIA reactivated Overtake Mode for 27 seconds before deactivating it again, giving some drivers an unfair advantage in the first part of Sprint Qualifying. Sky Sports F1 understands the brief reactivation happened in the last minute of SQ1, when several drivers were on flying laps.
Williams' Carlos Sainz, one of six drivers who missed out on SQ2, said the drivers who had Overtake Mode for those 27 seconds gained around half a second. Williams petitioned for all teams to progress to SQ2, but the request was declined, and no protests are expected.
The FIA acknowledged that the error affected certain cars based on the timing of their run and their position around the lap, though the second and third periods of Sprint Qualifying were unaffected. The incident follows an "unprecedented" software glitch at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia five days earlier, which caused several cars to slow dramatically or stop.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing