Why Did Some F1 Cars Have More Power in Singapore Sprint Qualifying?

The FIA admitted a Race Control error affected power availability in SQ1. A brief activation of Overtake Mode meant the consequences depended on where drivers were and when they ran.

Singapore’s Sprint qualifying problems went beyond confused timing screens. The FIA confirmed that a separate human error in Race Control affected the performance of some cars during the opening segment.

After the red-flag interruption in SQ1, Overtake Mode was unavailable. When officials recognized the problem, they activated it for 27 seconds before switching it off again.

Drivers were therefore dealing with different power availability depending on the timing of their runs and their position around the circuit.

Why those 27 seconds mattered

Overtake Mode changes how a car can use electrical energy. Formula 1’s explanation describes an additional electrical power profile that allows a car to sustain higher speed for longer.

That makes its availability relevant to performance, even though the cars’ engines and other hardware have not changed.

The FIA acknowledged that its error affected certain cars. Its statement did not identify every driver who benefited or lost out, or quantify the effect on individual lap times.

Carlos Sainz offered his own assessment after qualifying last. Speaking to Sky Sports, he estimated that cars with access to the mode gained around half a second. That remains a driver’s assessment, rather than an FIA-confirmed measurement.

It would therefore be misleading to apply the same time loss to every affected driver or calculate a revised qualifying order from that estimate.

Two separate problems interrupted SQ1

Sergio Pérez’s contact with the barriers left debris on the circuit and triggered the red flag.

The session also suffered a timing-system problem, with some lap times initially failing to register. That issue contributed to the delay before SQ2.

The FIA explicitly separated the timing problem from the Race Control mistake involving Overtake Mode. Treating both as one software failure would misrepresent its explanation.

What the admission does—and doesn’t—establish

The FIA said SQ2 and SQ3 were unaffected by the Overtake Mode error. Max Verstappen subsequently took Sprint pole ahead of George Russell.

That limits the incident to the opening segment, but SQ1 still decided which drivers could continue. An unaffected final shootout does not erase the significance of unequal conditions earlier.

The confirmed finding is that Race Control’s error affected some cars’ performance. The exact consequences for each driver, and whether the elimination order would otherwise have changed, remain unestablished.