Safety Car too long, is there a need for new rules? Drivers and fans criticize the waits for lapped cars
In the last three Formula 1 Grands Prix, the Safety Car stayed on track for a long time, raising the question of a possible new rule. In two cases, the cause was a single lapped car: that of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. In Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton exploded over the radio: “They take forever. They like to waste laps.” The phrase reignited the debate: is it really necessary to let lapped cars unlap?
At Imola, the Safety Car period lasted over 14 minutes, of which only three were used to reorder the lapped cars. At the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, the track was clear in six minutes, but the unlapping added another four. This caused precious laps to be lost. The current procedure requires waiting for the complete removal of the danger before letting cars unlap.
Supporters of reform ask to reduce Safety Car times. “Lapped cars would still be moved with blue flags,” they explain. In fact, F1 applies much stricter rules than other series like IndyCar. According to many, keeping lapped cars in place would not compromise the quality of the race.
Opponents reply that long Safety Car periods are not only due to lapped cars. At Imola, recovering Antonelli’s Mercedes took 11 minutes due to limited space. Moreover, letting cars unlap ensures that drivers battling directly restart close together and in the correct order. A compromise between safety and show.
Some also recall the chaos at Imola 2020, when lapped cars were poorly managed and created risks on track. For this reason, today the track is cleared before starting the procedure. But the downside is clear: valuable laps for the spectacle and race strategy are lost.
The question remains open: is the Safety Car too long? There is a need to balance safety, sporting fairness, and effective race time. With 15 GPs still on the calendar, teams and the FIA will have to consider how to optimize procedures without compromising the show or safety on track.
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