The FIA has made a late change to the starting grid at Sepang International Circuit after pole position was mistakenly marked on the left-hand side of the track rather than its traditional position on the right.
The error was discovered during preparations for Formula 1's return to Sepang for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Pole had initially been placed on the outside of the main start-finish straight before the FIA identified the discrepancy during its circuit checks.
The incorrect grid marking was understood to have resulted from a miscommunication in the documentation supplied to the circuit. Sepang's track workers followed the instructions they had received before the FIA identified that the grid configuration was incorrect.
When race control arrived at the circuit, officials reviewed the grid markings and confirmed that pole position had been placed incorrectly.
The FIA subsequently instructed Sepang to restore the grid to its historical configuration, with pole position on the right-hand side of the track. The original markings were covered and the grid was repainted, with the position previously designated as second becoming the new pole slot.
The correction also required changes to the start line. The incorrectly positioned pole slot had been ahead of the original line, potentially creating an issue with the distance between the first grid position and the line as well as the timing system.
The start line was therefore moved as part of the remedial work. The changes were completed on Thursday, with Sepang subsequently passing its circuit inspection ahead of the weekend's running.
The unusual error comes as Formula 1 returns to Sepang for the first time since 2017, with the Malaysian circuit stepping in to host this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.
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