FIA acknowledges that equity was jeopardized during the chaotic Singapore F1 sprint qualifying session.

In an interview with Sky Germany, Tombazis emphasized that “there's a lot of things happening in race control simultaneously” and clarified how the error transpired.

“Typically, it is a manual task to re-enable it, as we want to ensure from a safety standpoint that it's appropriate to do so,” he elaborated.

“Regrettably, a pop-up window appeared on someone's computer that wasn't acted upon quickly enough or at the right moment. Under time constraints and other pressures, this was unfortunately overlooked.

Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

“We then engaged in a thorough analysis to determine if there was another issue, as we could hear the drivers expressing their concerns about what was occurring. We identified where the problem originated.

“At that moment, there was an erroneous call to briefly reactivate it, which was not the right decision for fairness. It was then switched off again.”

Tombazis further acknowledged that the situation was “a bit of a mess, quite frankly,” considering its effect on the competitive landscape.

“We're not pleased about it, as it affected some drivers more than others,” he remarked.

“Thus, in the initial session of the sprint, we felt this issue disrupted the results – which for us at FIA is probably, in some respects, the worst outcome, because our top priorities are always safety and fairness.

“Naturally, having a situation where a result is deemed unfair or incorrect is not acceptable for us. It is indeed a complex task, and mistakes do occur, and we must acknowledge that. However, we also need to ensure that when we do make errors, we analyze them and implement measures to prevent their recurrence – which is precisely what we are doing.”

This misstep took place less than a week after the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia was affected by a power unit issue for several competitors, necessitating a software update on all cars before the race could commence.