FIA explains safety car finish at F1 British GP
Motorsport.com • • sports
Key Points:
- The FIA attributed the controversial ending of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix to a “software error” that caused confusion over the safety car deployment during the final laps.
- After Max Verstappen crashed, the safety car was deployed, and lapped cars were allowed to unlap themselves, but the race ended under the safety car without the planned one-lap shootout restart.
- The FIA clarified that race control followed the correct procedure per regulations, but the erroneous “Safety Car In This Lap” message led to the misunderstanding.
- Charles Leclerc won the race without a final-lap battle despite preparing for a restart with fresh tires, while George Russell finished second after not pitting, and Lewis Hamilton is under investigation for a yellow flag infringement.
- The incident reignited sensitivities around late-race restarts in F1, recalling the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi GP finish where similar procedural errors influenced the championship outcome.
