The FIA’s decision not to deploy a Virtual Safety Car after Valtteri Bottas crashed at Turn 15 on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has raised an important safety question. Race control instead relied on double yellow flags, allowing several close battles to continue all the way to the chequered flag at Baku.
The governing body explained that the decision was based on the relatively low speed of Turn 15 and the availability of an asphalt run-off area. Yet with numerous drivers fighting closely for position and potentially looking for every possible advantage, the situation inevitably raises the question of whether avoiding a late neutralisation created an unnecessary risk simply to preserve the racing spectacle.
Why the FIA did not deploy a Virtual Safety Car in Baku
The absence of a VSC after Valtteri Bottas’ accident was one of the most noticeable details of the race finale. Turn 15 is one of the trickier sections of the Baku circuit, and under many other circumstances a stranded car in such a position could have led race control to neutralise the race.
Instead, double yellow flags remained in place while the drivers continued racing. The FIA identified two main reasons for considering that sufficient.
First, Turn 15 is regarded as a relatively slow corner rather than a high-speed section, with cars travelling through it at less than 90 km/h. Yellow flags were already visible before drivers reached the incident, instructing them to reduce speed and be prepared to stop if necessary.
George Russell, for example, approached the corner more than 80 km/h slower than on the previous lap. The second factor was the fully asphalted escape road on the inside of the corner. If required, drivers could leave the normal racing line and bypass the stricken car.
From the FIA’s perspective, there was also no urgent requirement to recover Valtteri Bottas’ car before the end of the race. Double yellow flags therefore provided a way to manage the hazard without introducing a Virtual Safety Car.
Max Verstappen gained ground despite the double yellow flags
Those explanations are understandable, but the circumstances of the final lap still leave room for debate. Valtteri Bottas’ car remained only just outside the normal racing line in a technically difficult part of the circuit, while several drivers were still involved in important battles.
The fight for victory highlighted one of the issues. Max Verstappen recovered approximately half a second on George Russell through the section covered by double yellow flags by taking a more aggressive approach in a very confined area.
That creates another question over how the situation should have been judged if Max Verstappen, like several drivers behind, had chosen to leave the conventional line and gain even more ground. Only the first five drivers remained within the track limits through that section. From Lewis Hamilton onwards, the cars behind cut across the corner and gained an advantage.
Eight cars were separated by only five seconds
The concern was not limited to the leaders. Several cars in the midfield were racing closely for positions carrying valuable Constructors’ Championship points, with eight drivers separated by only five seconds.
Esteban Ocon immediately chose to cut the corner and the drivers behind followed. In that situation, however, a line of cars making different decisions could have created an additional hazard. If one driver had remained on the normal route while others behind expected to cut the section, the closing speeds and traffic could potentially have produced a dangerous situation.
The close running order and progression through the race can also be explored through the F1 Race Position & Progression Tracker.
Onboard footage also suggested that some drivers took advantage of the circumstances while still competing for position. They did lift off the throttle, but in some cases apparently not to an extent that would have allowed them to stop immediately if the situation had suddenly deteriorated.
Did preserving the racing spectacle create an avoidable risk?
The FIA considered double yellow flags sufficient to control the incident, and ultimately the final lap was completed without a further accident. The reasoning was based on the low corner speed, the warning provided to drivers and the available escape route.
Even so, the combination of multiple active battles, closely grouped cars and drivers naturally attempting to maximise their position makes the decision more debatable. The issue is not simply whether the double yellow flags worked on this occasion, but whether the margin for error was unnecessarily small.
With so many drivers fighting until the finish and different approaches being taken through the incident zone, deploying a Virtual Safety Car would have removed much of that uncertainty. By choosing not to neutralise the final lap, the FIA preserved the spectacle to the chequered flag, but it also left an open question over whether an avoidable safety risk was accepted in the process.
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