Formula One's governing body has admitted that "human error" in race control triggered a power-mode controversy during Sprint Qualifying at the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, leaving several cars running with less power than others.
The issue emerged in the opening phase of Sprint Qualifying at Marina Bay. Following a timing systems glitch and a message from race control, several cars completed their laps without the use of Overtake Mode, while others did have access to the additional power. Introduced for the F1 2026 season as part of sweeping new regulations, Overtake Mode enables drivers to deploy an additional 0.5mJ of energy over the course of a lap.
According to the FIA's own official timing system, the Overtake Mode enabled message was delivered at 20:52:08 local time, with a subsequent message confirming Overtake Mode had been disabled 28 seconds later — but after the chequered flag. The note on the timing screens during SQ1 advised that Overtake Mode was enabled, creating confusion about who was legally allowed to use the extra power.
Max Verstappen took sprint pole amid the chaos, setting a 1m31.156s to head George Russell in sprint qualifying, with Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton completing the top five. But the session was overshadowed by the FIA system issue, which left several teams questioning whether the playing field was level and whether the results could be challenged.
The FIA's admission of "human error" in race control came as the sport grapples with the complexity of its new 2026 technical regulations. The incident added to a weekend of FIA scrutiny in Singapore, with stewards also clearing Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon and Arvid Lindblad after a triple Sprint race investigation, taking no further action against Lewis Hamilton after a potential track-limits incident in battle with Norris, and warning Lance Stroll for a pit-lane procedure violation.
The controversy has reignited debate about the consistency of race control operations and whether the FIA's increasingly complex regulatory framework is placing too much burden on officials during live sessions.
Teams were said to be privately furious about the ambiguity, with some engineers arguing that even a few seconds of asymmetric Overtake Mode availability could be worth meaningful lap time — enough to swing grid positions in a session decided by hundredths. The incident also highlighted the sport's growing dependence on digital timing and messaging systems: a single erroneous note on the timing screens cascaded into strategic uncertainty across the pit lane.
For the FIA, the Singapore episode adds to a season of officiating controversies under the new 2026 regulations, which overhauled both power units and sporting rules. Calls are growing for greater transparency around race-control decisions, including real-time explanations when system errors occur, so teams and fans are not left guessing about the integrity of a session after the chequered flag has fallen.