FIA admits fairness was compromised in Singapore F1 sprint qualifying mess
The FIA has conceded that human error compromised sporting fairness during sprint qualifying at Formula 1's Singapore Grand Prix. Speaking to Sky Germany, FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis described the procedural breakdown in race control as one of the federation's worst outcomes, emphasizing that upholding competitive fairness alongside track safety represents their paramount objective.
The disruption unfolded at the conclusion of the SQ1 phase following a red flag caused by Sergio Perez's crash. Reactivating overtake mode is a manual safety protocol, but race control personnel failed to clear a critical pop-up prompt on a computer monitor under intense time pressure. As confused drivers reported a lack of power over team radio, officials recognized the oversight and made the flawed decision to switch overtake mode on for just 27 seconds before deactivating it once more.
That brief window unequally skewed the competitive order, leaving multiple drivers who were eliminated in the opening session unfairly disadvantaged. Tombazis acknowledged the incident was a genuine mess that interfered directly with the qualifying results, confirming that the FIA is actively analyzing the sequence of events to ensure such control room failures do not happen again.
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