FIA Faces Another System Failure During Sprint Qualifying

The FIA has issued a statement regarding another system failure that disrupted Sprint Qualifying, shortly after a software issue impacted the Bahrain Grand Prix.

During the final moments of SQ1, timing screens malfunctioned, leading to delays in settling the session's order. The FIA confirmed that some lap times were not recorded and stated that the start of SQ2 would be delayed due to these timing system issues. Although the FIA resolved the timing discrepancies, confusion arose when Race Control mistakenly indicated that overtake mode was enabled before SQ2 began.

Drivers reported a lack of power despite the supposed activation of overtake mode, with Carlos Sainz noting that he experienced a significant power deficit compared to other competitors. The FIA later admitted to a human error in Race Control that affected the availability of overtake mode during SQ1, which impacted the performance of some cars. The FIA clarified that the subsequent periods of Sprint Qualifying were not affected by this error.