Sainz reveals startling private FIA confession after Singapore qualifying chaos
Williams driver Carlos Sainz revealed that FIA official Nikolas Tombazis apologized for a 'human error' during Singapore Sprint Qualifying. The error involved a failure in the Overtake Mode system, which created an unfair competitive disadvantage for several drivers.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing concerns regarding the consistency and fairness of FIA race control decisions in Formula 1.
Carlos Sainz has revealed that FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis personally apologised to him following the controversy surrounding Sprint Qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix. According to the Williams driver, the Greek acknowledged that human error affected the session and admitted that the decision to proceed with SQ2 despite the sporting unfairness was wrong.
Friday's Sprint Qualifying session at Marina Bay was overshadowed by a Race Control error that left several drivers at a disadvantage during SQ1. The problems began after Sergio Perez crashed at Turn 5, bringing out the red flag while marshals cleared debris from the circuit. However, when the session resumed, Overtake Mode was not available to the drivers.
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