FIA says Overtake Mode error compromised fairness in Singapore sprint qualifying

The FIA has acknowledged that a Race Control error compromised fairness in Singapore Sprint Qualifying, with single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis saying it affected some drivers more than others.

The problem surfaced at the end of SQ1 after Sergio Perez's crash triggered a red flag. Race Control first failed to reactivate Overtake Mode, then switched it on for 27 seconds before turning it off again. Drivers were puzzled by the lack of power, while those eliminated in SQ1 felt unfairly disadvantaged.

Tombazis told Sky Germany that reactivation is normally manual so officials can first check it is safe. A computer pop-up was not handled quickly enough, he said; with many things happening in Race Control at once and pressure mounting, the alert was forgotten.

He called the brief reactivation the wrong decision from a fairness perspective and said the problem interfered with SQ1's results. The FIA was analysing what went wrong to prevent a repeat, he said.