The British Grand Prix ended behind the safety car, much to the disappointment of many fans at Silverstone. Boos echoed around the grandstands, although part of that reaction was prompted by a communication error.
The timing screens briefly displayed the message “Safety Car ending”, but this later proved to be incorrect. The FIA subsequently clarified that the message should never have appeared and was caused by a software issue.
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The governing body also confirmed in a statement that the correct procedures had been followed, specifically Article B5.13.5, which states that one additional lap must be completed following the unlapping procedure.
“Unless the Race Director considers the presence of the Safety Car remains necessary, once the message ‘lapped cars may now overtake’ has been sent to all Competitors in accordance with Article B5.13.4c, the Safety Car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap,” the sporting regulations state.
The safety car procedures were tightened after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when race director Michael Masi restarted the race after allowing only the five lapped cars between the title contenders to overtake the safety car.
Although the current procedure denied fans a thrilling final-lap showdown, Wolff was pleased that the regulations had been applied correctly.
“I would have preferred for this to happen in 2021. That was more important,” Wolff joked when speaking to the written media. “But it’s good that the regulations have been followed.”
The FIA clarified that the procedures have been followed correctly and that the ‘Safety Car Ending’ message was cause by a software issue
The Mercedes boss acknowledged that a restart would undoubtedly have been more entertaining, but stressed that safety car finishes are simply part of Formula 1.
“Sometimes it doesn’t give for the most exciting final. Certainly from a spectacle standpoint, everybody would have loved to see Lewis on a soft against us and maybe fighting with Leclerc,” Wolff said.
“But this is a sport. The show follows the sport, and not the other way around. So it’s good that the FIA made that call.”
Ultimately, the decision not to restart the race secured George Russell second place and 18 valuable championship points. While Ferrari brought Lewis Hamilton into the pits for fresh tyres, Mercedes opted to stay out and prioritise track position.
Like his team boss, Russell was pleased that the procedures had been followed and argued that race control should not treat the end of a race differently from a safety car period earlier in the event.
“Of course it’s a shame for any race to finish behind the safety car. But then you go back to Abu Dhabi 2021, and that is just how racing goes,” Russell said.
Russell argues the FIA should not adjust the procedures for a safety car at the end of the race
“Nobody can plan for somebody to have an incident, and the way F1 and the FIA deal with it shouldn’t be any different at the end of the race compared to the start of the race.
“Obviously, there was a lot of chat post-Abu Dhabi 2021. If you actually look at the number of races that have finished under the safety car over the past 20 years, it’s not actually a lot.
“So, as I said, it is a shame, but what can you do? I don’t think it should be different.”
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