Carlos Sainz Slams FIA Over 'Sporting Unfairness' in Singapore

Carlos Sainz has intensified his criticism of the FIA following a significant technical blunder during the Singapore Grand Prix Sprint qualifying. A "human error" in Race Control created an uneven playing field, leaving several drivers—including Sainz—without critical power boosts during a pivotal window of the session.

Why it matters:

This incident transcends a simple technical glitch; it touches on the core integrity of sporting equity. When Race Control errors selectively advantage certain drivers over others, it undermines the fairness the FIA is mandated to uphold. Sainz’s pointed remark that the FIA "didn't care" because Williams isn't a championship contender highlights a growing frustration among mid-field and backmarker teams regarding perceived inconsistencies in regulation enforcement.

The details:

• The Glitch: A pop-up notification at Race Control went unnoticed, leaving Overtake Mode disabled for the majority of the SQ1 session.
• The Inequality: Upon realizing the error, officials briefly reactivated the system for only 27 seconds, meaning only a small group of drivers benefited from the 0.5 mJ energy boost.
• The Impact: Sainz qualified 22nd, the slowest of the field, directly attributing the poor result to the lack of available power.
• FIA Admission: Single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis admitted the failure was the "worst thing" that could happen, as it directly skewed the competitive results.

The big picture:

Sainz drew a sharp contrast between this event and a previous incident in Malaysia, where the FIA took drastic action to ensure fairness. The discrepancy in how these "human errors" are handled suggests a fragmented approach to governance, where the perceived stakes—such as whether a driver is fighting for a title—may subconsciously influence the decision to let a result stand or to rectify it.

What's next:

The FIA has pledged to analyze the manual reactivation process to prevent similar failures in the future. However, for Sainz and Williams, a formal apology does little to erase a compromised qualifying result, leaving a lingering tension between the paddock and Race Control as the 2026 season reaches its climax.