Racing Bulls Opts Out of Singapore Protest Despite FIA Error
Racing Bulls chose not to protest the Sprint qualifying result in Singapore, despite an acknowledged FIA error. Team principal Alan Permane explained the decision, emphasizing a focus on supporting the FIA rather than challenging them.
Racing Bulls made a notable decision at the Singapore Grand Prix by choosing not to protest the Sprint qualifying results, even after the FIA admitted to an error. The error in question involved some drivers receiving an unintended advantage due to the activation of overtake mode during the final laps, attributed to a red flag interruption. This glitch allowed certain drivers an extra 0.5mJ of electrical energy, impacting the outcome by approximately half a second.
Despite being one of the teams affected, alongside Aston Martin and Williams, Racing Bulls opted against lodging a formal protest. Arvid Lindblad, a Racing Bulls driver, was among those disadvantaged in the session. Team principal Alan Permane, when quizzed about the decision by Sky Sports, highlighted the practicality of their choice. "Honestly, if I really want to be ruthless about it; Liam [Lawson] was in P8. What are you going to do? You protest the result and I think the only thing they could do is nullify the whole of qualifying and go back to the P1 results, and we certainly didn’t want that," he explained.
Permane's comments reflect a strategic decision, considering that reverting to practice results would have seen Lawson drop to tenth and Lindblad to 12th. The team decided that the potential benefits of a protest didn't outweigh the drawbacks.
The incident follows closely on the heels of a previous FIA hiccup in Malaysia, where a software bug caused chaos during the formation lap. Permane expressed a reluctance to criticize the FIA, given their prompt response to past issues. "I don’t think it’s the right time to be kicking the FIA," he noted, pointing out that while mistakes like the one in Singapore happen, the focus should be on collective improvement.
Looking forward, Permane suggested that clearer protocols or a lockout could prevent similar errors in the future. He expressed confidence that the issue will be revisited and addressed once the current triple-header of races concludes. "I’m sure there will be lessons learnt and I’m very sure we will talk about it after this weekend," he concluded.