The Imola GP saw Max Verstappen triumph over the two McLarens. This happened despite the incidents involving Esteban Ocon and Kimi Antonelli. Two similar accidents that, however, resulted in different responses — first a Virtual Safety Car and then a long Safety Car period. Here’s the reasoning behind the decisions made by race control.
The first incident occurred on lap 29 when Esteban Ocon, warned by his Haas pit wall of a problem, parked the car between turns 7 and 8. In this case, race control opted for a Virtual Safety Car, forcing the cars to slow down to allow the safe recovery of the vehicle.
In Esteban Ocon’s case, marshals were able to intervene quickly for two reasons. First, the Frenchman stopped close enough to a gap in the guardrail, making recovery easier. More importantly, his was the first car to retire in that specific area.
The second incident took place on lap 46, this time with Kimi Antonelli, making his debut in his home GP. The driver reported throttle problems and also stopped on the grass, near turn 8. This time, race control immediately deployed the Safety Car, a move that raised some eyebrows.
The reason for this choice is simply that one of the nearest escape roads was already occupied by Esteban Ocon’s Haas, and there was no room for a second car.
Another option was located between turns 8 and 9, but this stretch of track is uphill. As a result, a tow truck was needed to move the Mercedes there, which justified the use of the Safety Car.
The recovery operations for car #12 took quite some time. This is why the Safety Car remained on track for a long time at Imola, leaving only about ten laps to complete the race.
Overall, while the VSC stayed on track for just over three minutes, the Safety Car remained for about 14 minutes. Some drivers, like Max Verstappen, were able to benefit from at least one of these situations. Others, like Charles Leclerc, saw their strategy neutralized by the removal interventions of the two cars.
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