Oct.10 (GMM) Formula 1 has been hit by another operational embarrassment just days after the Sepang software chaos, with the FIA admitting a human error affected performance during Sprint qualifying in Singapore.
After Sergio Perez’s crash caused a red flag in SQ1, Race Control failed to reactivate Overtake Mode when the session resumed.
The FIA said the system was later switched on for just 27 seconds before being disabled again, meaning some drivers had additional electrical power while others did not.
“During the first period of sprint qualifying there was a human error in Race Control unrelated to the timing issue also encountered in SQ1,” an FIA spokesperson said.
“The FIA acknowledges that this unfortunate human error had an impact on the performance of certain cars based on the timing of their run and their position around the lap.”
Carlos Sainz, eliminated in SQ1, was furious.
“The FIA, as in Malaysia, has decided to take the easy way out and hasn’t cared that half the cars had more power,” he said.
“I don’t know why the sport does different things depending on who’s out on the first lap.”
A separate FOM timing-system failure also caused confusion, with some laptimes initially missing and SQ2 delayed while the classifications were corrected.
Valtteri Bottas summed up the confusion: “I have no idea about the results, something was wrong with the timing system, so I don’t even know where I finished.”
Williams and Racing Bulls are not expected to protest, while Aston Martin was considering its options after Lance Stroll was among those affected.
The weekend has produced trouble off the track too, with Bild newspaper reporting that several F1 personnel were detained during paddock security checks after prohibited vaping devices were discovered.