As RaceFans reports, Carlos Sainz Jnr has let loose on the sport's governing body after a staggering human error compromised qualifying. A software fault left certain drivers unable to use Overtake Mode for a period following a red flag in the first phase of qualifying, stripping them of vital power when it mattered most.
The consequences were brutal for Sainz, who ended the session 22nd and last after setting the 15th-fastest time in first practice. He was one of the six drivers eliminated in SQ1. Overtake Mode is designed to be enabled by default during qualifying, allowing machines to recharge their batteries by 9MJ per lap instead of 8.5MJ to deliver extra power. Because of the glitch, Sainz found himself fighting a losing battle.
I didn’t have overtake mode available on my second push lap so missed out on any chances fighting to get through to Q2,
“We did the whole lap with half a second less power than any other lap of the weekend, so that’s never going to help,” said Sainz. But the power loss was only part of a disastrous session. Brake and tyre troubles compounded his misery, building on difficulties that began earlier in the day. The team had to change the brakes after first practice due to issues, and the Spanish driver still struggled with lock-ups and tyre management throughout qualifying.
Yet the unfairness of the playing field clearly stung the most. “There was another software issue with the cars at this time around and we on the bad end of it,” Sainz explained, noting that half the field completed their crucial laps with engines running half a second quicker than the rest.
This latest technical farce arrives hot on the heels of another disaster just five days prior, when a software fault delayed the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia for nearly an hour, drawing fierce complaints when stranded drivers regained their original grid slots. Pointing to both incidents, Sainz did not hold back: “For whatever reason, the FIA, like in Malaysia, didn’t decide to do sporting equity, and were happy to do half of the cars in quali with a higher power than the other half of their cars. So I’m a bit confused why the sport keeps doing different things depending on who is out in Q1 or who is in lap one.”
Lance Stroll, flying the flag for Aston Martin, confirmed he suffered the exact same fate. “I didn’t have overtake mode available on my second push lap so missed out on any chances fighting to get through to Q2,” said the Aston Martin driver.
