FIA reveal 'unfortunate human error' further influenced sprint qualifying

The FIA has reported that an "unfortunate human error" in race control meant Overtake Mode was unavailable after the red flag stoppage in SQ1 at the Singapore Grand Prix.

This issue was unrelated to the problems with F1's timing system during the first segment of sprint qualifying at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

However, it may have influenced the outcome of SQ1, with the motorsport governing body confirming that once the oversight was identified, Overtake Mode was reactivated for a period of 27 seconds before again being disabled.

The series of events occurred after the session was resumed following the Sergio Perez-induced red flag interruption.

"During the first period of Sprint Qualifying, there was a human error in Race Control unrelated to the timing issue also encountered in SQ1," the FIA said in a statement.

"This issue in question meant Overtake Mode was not available after the red flag period during SQ1. When it became apparent that Overtake Mode was not active after the restart, it was then activated for a period of 27 seconds before being deactivated again.

"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.

"The second and third periods of Sprint Qualifying were not affected."

It is not clear whether — or the extent to which — any cars were disadvantaged due to the problem, and which cars were able to access the added power that comes with Overtake Mode for those 27 seconds.

However, Carlos Sainz, who qualified last, has claimed he lost half a second. And Lawrence Stroll has claimed son Lance lost six tenths of a second.

The situation also explains why cars were not able to go faster than Lewis Hamilton's early benchmark time once the session resumed.