FIA admits race control 'human error' hit Overtake Mode in Singapore sprint qualifying as Sainz criticises FIA

The FIA has admitted that a race control mistake affected part of Friday's Singapore Grand Prix sprint qualifying, leaving some cars without full Overtake Mode power in the closing minutes of SQ1. It is the second software problem in successive weekends for Formula 1's new 2026 rules, after cars struggled at an aborted start at Sepang. Carlos Sainz, who was eliminated in last place, was among those who criticised how the FIA handled it.

What went wrong

SQ1 was stopped with about six minutes left after Sergio Perez hit the barrier at Turn 5 and his damaged Cadillac front wing scattered debris on the track. When the session restarted, Overtake Mode, which gives drivers extra electrical energy on each lap under the 2026 rules, was not switched back on.

When race control spotted the mistake, it re-enabled Overtake Mode for under half a minute, and timing data published by FOM showed that window opened at 20:52 local time. Drivers on track during that short window had access to the extra energy, while others did not, depending on when and where on the lap they were running. The FIA called it an unfortunate human error and said SQ2 and SQ3 were not affected.

A separate timing system fault, in which some lap times had not been registered, then delayed the start of SQ2 by around 15 minutes. The FIA later said that problem was fixed and the times were correct.

Who lost out

The FIA did not rule on whether the error changed who went through to SQ2. The six drivers knocked out in SQ1 were Arvid Lindblad, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas, Perez and Sainz. Lindblad missed the cut by about a tenth of a second, and Sky Sports reported that Aston Martin believed Stroll would have reached SQ2 without the problem.

Sainz, who was slowest in his Williams, said his side of the field had been on the wrong end of another software issue. He questioned why the FIA did not make power levels equal for everyone, and estimated the difference was worth about half a second. He also admitted that brake and tyre problems meant he might not have gone through anyway. Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle called the episode "embarrassing" for the sport.

A pattern of software problems

The Singapore error follows trouble at Sepang last weekend, when several cars struggled to pull away during an aborted start in wet conditions. The FIA made emergency software changes in Malaysia and has confirmed more changes before the United States Grand Prix later this month. The 2026 power units rely much more heavily on electrical energy, so how energy is deployed, and how race control sets it, has a direct effect on lap time.

What it means for the weekend

The results stand, so the sprint grid is unchanged, with Max Verstappen on pole from George Russell. Verstappen also escaped a penalty after the stewards accepted that his SQ1 pass on Lewis Hamilton under yellow flags was caused by the large difference in speed between the cars. The sprint is scheduled for 5pm Malaysia time on Saturday, followed by Grand Prix qualifying at 9pm. Teams will be watching closely to see whether race control's systems run cleanly for the rest of the weekend.

Key takeaways

• Overtake Mode was not re-enabled after the SQ1 red flag, then switched on for under half a minute.
• The FIA blamed human error and said SQ2 and SQ3 were not affected.
• A separate timing fault delayed SQ2 by about 15 minutes.
• Sainz criticised the FIA, and Aston Martin believe Stroll lost a place in SQ2.
• It follows software trouble at an aborted start at Sepang a week earlier.

FAQ

What is Overtake Mode in F1 2026? It is a 2026 rules feature that gives drivers extra electrical energy per lap, and race control switches its availability on and off.

Will the sprint qualifying results be changed? No. The FIA did not change the classification, and Verstappen starts the sprint from pole.

Was this the first software problem of the season? No. At Sepang last weekend, several cars struggled to pull away at an aborted start, which led to emergency software changes.

Sources: Speedcafe, PlanetF1, Sky Sports, ESPN, Crash.net, Autosport