Is this a solution for clearer rules around safety cars?

F1 News

25 January 2022 at 10:01
Last update 25 January 2022 at 11:57
  • GPblog.com

Last season's season finale in Abu Dhabi is causing a lot of fuss and discussion. What exactly was the problem and what needs to change? Auto, Motor und Sport has come up with a solution.

Similar situation in Azerbaijan

For a long time, it looked like Lewis Hamilton would become world champion, but Nicholas Latifi's crash changed the situation. Race control did not want the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to end under a safety car, so they decided to bring in the safety car for the final lap. Max Verstappen was able to overtake the Briton and became world champion.

We saw a similar situation at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix where a yellow flag came after Verstappen's blowout on the straight. This eventually became a red flag and then the FIA decided to run another short six-lap race. Hamilton made a mistake at the restart and lost first or second place.

Now there are mostly questions about what the rules should be in the future when it comes to safety cars and finishing a race. There has always been an agreement between the teams, the FIA and the organisation around Formula 1 that races should end under green as much as possible, but after the incident in Abu Dhabi, the FIA will really have to come up with concrete rules for this kind of situation.

What next?

Auto, Motor und Sport has figured out what those concrete rules should be. Firstly, the race should be stopped and resumed if something happens in the last ten percent of the race. If it happens in the last two laps, the race should just end.

Secondly, they argue that getting a lap back should no longer apply. If you are a lap down, you stay at the back. If there is a safety car in the middle of the race, it is better if the drivers behind do not have to pass the whole field in order to catch up. This takes too much time.