Carlos Sainz publicly criticised the International Automobile Federation (FIA) following a race-control error during the sprint qualifying session at the Singapore Grand Prix on October 9. The Williams driver said the mistake echoed technical issues experienced at the previous weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix held in Malaysia.

The disruption occurred after Sergio Perez of Cadillac crashed into a barrier, triggering a red flag that temporarily halted the session. Upon resumption, FIA officials inadvertently left the “Overtake Mode” disabled. This feature, which provides drivers with a temporary power boost, was erroneously reactivated for only 27 seconds before being switched off again for the remainder of the qualifying segment.

Sainz argued that the inconsistent application of Overtake Mode created an uneven playing field. “Half of the cars did the lap with half a second quicker engine than the others,” he said, expressing frustration that the FIA did not maintain sporting equity. He also noted the similarity to software-related problems that affected performance during the Sepang event the week before. In that incident, a software glitch caused cars to slow dramatically during two formation laps after the original race start was aborted due to heavy rain.

In response, the FIA acknowledged the error in a statement, attributing it to human oversight during the red flag period. The governing body confirmed that the inconsistent use of Overtake Mode affected some cars’ performances depending on the timing of their laps and their positions on the circuit. However, it noted that the subsequent portions of qualifying were not impacted.

Despite the qualifying confusion, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Singapore sprint race and went on to claim victory on October 10.

The FIA’s admission highlights ongoing challenges in managing the technological demands of modern Formula One racing, with stakeholders calling for improved procedures to ensure fairness and consistency in competition.