Bernd Maylander, FIA Safety Car Driver, and David Coulthard talk
Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has urged the FIA to prioritise “entertainment” following the anticlimactic safety car finish at the British Grand Prix
The race at Silverstone saw Charles Leclerc secure his first victory at the iconic circuit and Ferrari’s 250th grand prix win. However, the race lacked an exciting finish after a late-race crash involving Red Bull’s Max Verstappen brought out the safety car.
Despite hopes for a green-flag restart, the race ultimately finished under safety car conditions.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Coulthard argued that there should have been some leniency in the rules to keep a focus on entertainment. When asked if the grand prix should have ended behind the safety car, the 13-time grand prix winner explained: “I would prefer not
“Yes, there are rules, regulations, but we’re entertainment, and we should really try and keep that as a focal point.”
He added: “Of course, there’s a rule that states that you cannot now restart the race if the cars have only been released from the back of the field within a lap of the finish
“But I think that process could be sped up. I really do. Once the safety car’s out, the cars are neutralised. Yes, the safety car has to pick up the leader, but once that’s done, no one’s overtaking. So, very quickly, they can be doing that.”
FIA Safety Car
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
While he acknowledged the pressure on the FIA race director, the Scot maintained that F1 must learn from the situation. “We live and we learn,” Coulthard concluded. “It was a bit disappointing not to finish [with] a one-lap sprint. That would have been so much better than just sort of running it to the line.”
The FIA released the following statement after the race to clarify why the safety car remained on track until the chequered flag.
“The safety car period regulation, Article B5.13.5, states that one lap must be completed following the unlapping procedure. This process was followed by Race Operations
“The ‘Safety Car In This Lap’ message was displayed erroneously due to a software error.”
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