Carlos Sainz Slams FIA Over Power Discrepancy in Singapore Sprint Qualifying

Carlos Sainz has fiercely criticized the FIA following a critical oversight that created a power disparity among Formula 1 drivers during sprint qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Williams driver finished 22nd and slowest in a session that was already complicated by a separate timing system glitch in SQ1 and SQ2. A race control error meant that competitors were unable to access Overtake Mode during a crucial phase of the session following a red flag.

The red flag was triggered when Sergio Perez crashed his Cadillac, prompting race control to halt the action with six minutes remaining in SQ1. When the session resumed, teams and drivers expected to have standard qualifying deployment parameters available for their final flying laps. However, Overtake Mode had been disabled during the stoppage and was not automatically reactivated by officials in race control.

The governing body later admitted that a human error caused the feature to remain offline. Upon realizing the mistake, race control enabled Overtake Mode for a brief window of 27 seconds before deactivating it again. This disjointed timeline meant that drivers crossing the track at specific moments benefited from extra straightline speed and an additional half-megajoule of energy usage, while others on different parts of the circuit missed out entirely.

Competitors expressed their confusion over team radio while still on their flying laps. Mercedes driver George Russell was informed by his pit wall that an FIA settings issue was responsible for the anomaly. Other drivers noted a clear drop in engine deployment on the straights during their initial attempts before power levels shifted later in the running.

Sainz voiced strong frustration after the session concluded, pointing to brake issues in FP1 and subsequent locking problems as compounding factors. However, the Spaniard concentrated his main criticism on the fairness of the competition itself. He claimed that half of the field completed their runs with an engine output roughly half a second faster than the rest due to the governing body mistake.

The Williams driver argued that the situation demonstrated a lack of regard for sporting equity. He referenced a previous software bug that affected the grid in Malaysia and questioned why the sport handles such operational inconsistencies differently depending on who is affected early in a session. The FIA acknowledged that the error impacted car performance based on track position and timing, though data suggests it did not directly alter the final knockout eliminations in SQ1.

The governing body has not yet issued a formal comment regarding the separate timing glitch that caused a brief delay before the start of SQ2 while officials ratified the classification order. As the paddock prepares for the remainder of the Singapore weekend, the incident has reignited scrutiny over operational procedures in race control during high-pressure sessions.

Back to all Formula 1 news