The FIA has candidly admitted to operational missteps during the recent Singapore Grand Prix sprint qualifying session, with single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis labeling the incident as “the worst thing” for the governing body. This acknowledgment follows a chaotic period in SQ1 where the overtake mode was not properly managed after a red flag, causing confusion and a perceived lack of equitable conditions for some participating drivers.
During the sprint qualifying session, a red flag was deployed following a crash involving Sergio Perez. Subsequently, the re-activation of the overtake mode became problematic. Tombazis elaborated that the process is typically manual, requiring human intervention to ensure safety before re-enabling the function. However, a critical pop-up notification on a race control computer was reportedly overlooked or not addressed promptly. This oversight, compounded by the intense time pressure inherent in such high-stakes events, led to the system being temporarily turned on incorrectly before being switched off again, creating an uneven playing field for the competitors.
Drivers expressed considerable bewilderment due to the inconsistent application of the overtake mode, which directly affected their car's power output. Those who were ultimately eliminated in the initial phase of sprint qualifying felt particularly aggrieved, believing their performance and chances were unfairly hampered by the technical glitch and the subsequent handling of the situation. This incident follows closely on the heels of another technical issue at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, where a power unit software bug necessitated widespread updates to all cars before the main race could proceed, highlighting a recent pattern of operational challenges for the FIA.
Tombazis further expressed the FIA's dissatisfaction, stating, “We're not happy about it, because it affected some drivers more and some drivers less.” He emphasized that the integrity of competition is paramount, second only to safety, and that any situation undermining fairness is profoundly concerning for the federation. While acknowledging the complexities of the role and the inevitability of human error, he stressed the importance of thorough analysis and preventative measures to avert future recurrences. The FIA is committed to scrutinizing these events to ensure such errors are not repeated, maintaining its dedication to both participant safety and competitive fairness.