Between the racing lines | Formula 1 is complicated, confusing and constantly changing. This story is part of our guide to help any fan – no matter how long they’ve been watching the sport or how they discovered it – navigate the pinnacle of motorsport.
The end of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix has put Formula 1’s safety car procedures in the spotlight once again after George Russell’s scary final lap crash caused his Mercedes to flip sideways.
Sitting in the middle of the track and still in control, the British driver began calling on the radio for a red flag, which would have suspended the race. The race management instead chose to use a virtual safety car (VSC), one of its many tools to ensure the safety of drivers and marshals in the event of an incident, alongside yellow flags, a ordinary safety car and the red flag. It took 12 seconds for a VSC to be called from the time the last lap incident occurred.
These tools all serve different purposes, vary in their impact on a driver’s race, and play a role in teams’ strategic plans. Standards are constantly evaluated by the sport’s governing body, but debates and suggestions for improvement arise from drivers, teams and the FIA.
Here’s what you need to know about safety cars and the vital role they play in F1.
Types of safety cars and their impacts
There are two types of safety cars: virtual and real.
Virtual Safety Cars (VSC) were introduced in 2015 following Jules Bianchi’s fatal crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, to control the speed of cars under yellow and double yellow flags. Bianchi hit a recovery vehicle that was removing another car that had skidded off the track. He suffered fatal head injuries and died in July 2015.
A VSC slows cars without deploying a vehicle on the track during cautions. The FIA determines the lap times of the cars on each track, and during a VSC, the gaps between the vehicles are maintained using a “delta” speed that they must respect. When the VSC procedure is initiated, the FIA light panels will display “VSC” and a message is sent to competitors. Once it is deemed safe, competitors will receive a message that the VSC is detaching, and the light panels will turn green approximately 10 to 15 seconds later. Normal races can then resume.
Whether a VSC or safety car is called for depends on a multitude of factors, primarily the level of risk. According to article 56.1a of the FIA sporting regulations, a VSC “will normally be used when double waved yellow flags are necessary on a section of track and competitors or officials may be in danger, but the circumstances are not not likely to justify the use of these flags. the safety car itself.
Regular safety cars are physical vehicles that impact strategy and essentially neutralize the race. Cars become more grouped together as they follow the vehicle on the track and cannot be spaced more than 10 car lengths apart. Drivers cannot overtake each other during a VSC or safety car, but exceptions apply. During a safety car period, an exception is if the safety car indicates to a lagging car that it may overtake.
Former DTM driver Bernd Mayländer has been driving the safety car since 2000, but he is not alone in the vehicle. A co-pilot helps with communication and operations. Both have to stay in the car for the entire race, so they are ready to go if needed.
This weekend = 50th anniversary of @F1 Safety car. 👏
It’s time to leave the driver @BerndMaylaender takes you on a very special tour of the @MercedesAMG Black GT series. 👀 pic.twitter.com/kpNWoGidsD
– Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 16, 2023
These security-focused measures impact strategy. During real-world safety periods, teams practice fuel economy and make lower-cost pit stops. Drivers typically flood the pit lane to take advantage of the reduced time for a better pit stop by swapping fresh tires – although those who stopped before may miss the advantage and see their race derailed. The reboot process can also be difficult. Tires tend to lose grip and temperature during this time, and the ride back can get bumpy.
How the system can be improved
One question that lingers after the 2024 Australian Grand Prix is whether the safety systems should change in any way.
Russell got stuck in the middle of the track, the car flipped on its side, on the final lap of the race, and the cars were still finishing the grand prix. The Mercedes driver called it an “incredibly uncomfortable position” given where he was on the track: “in a blind corner, at 250 kilometers per hour, right on the racing line with the car at half upside down, you know, waiting for a disaster to happen. »
According to the FIA, a marshal immediately began waving a physical yellow flag to warn oncoming drivers. Russell said on Thursday: “Luckily I had a 10 second gap behind me and I think it was 10 or 12 seconds before the safety car came. But in the span of 10 seconds, you can have five, six, seven cars if it was on the first lap of the race, and probably get hit multiple times, even with the yellow flag.
The light boards changed to yellow flags in the area 1.6 seconds after Russell’s incident, and about five seconds after impact they changed to double yellow flags. It took a total of 12 seconds after the incident for a VSC to be called.
There are several reasons why the race did not receive a red flag, including the fact that no cars were immediately following Russell. If the incident had happened in the middle of the race rather than on the final lap, a red flag would likely have been used as the car would have had to be recovered. Since it was the last lap, it was safer for the drivers to overtake at a slower speed before returning to the pits.
It’s natural to wonder whether safety systems need to be updated, and the FIA is always evaluating incidents and safety standards. Russell’s comments came before the FIA clarified safety procedures in Melbourne, but the sentiment remains given how quickly technology is evolving. The Brit suggested that an automated system could be introduced in the future.
“I think we need to find a way that, if a car is in a dangerous area, it automates VSC immediately in about half a second, because those seconds count,” Russell said. “Lives are in danger. We’ve seen it many times in the past, cars, aquaplaning. I think it’s time, with technology, to take steps in this area.
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This is an updated version of an article originally published in March 2013.
(Main image: Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images; Design: Eamonn Dalton/Athleticism)