Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Martin Brundle has called on Formula 1 to change its safety-car unlapping rules after the British Grand Prix ended under caution at Silverstone, arguing the real problem was not the FIA’s software glitch but a procedure that left no chance for a final-lap restart.
The race was neutralized on lap 48 of 52 after Max Verstappen crashed at Stowe, and confusion followed when timing screens showed “Safety Car In This Lap” on lap 51. The safety car did not pit, however, and Charles Leclerc took the win under safety-car conditions.
In its post-race explanation, the FIA said the finish was handled correctly under Article B5.13.5. “The Safety Car period regulation, Article B5.13.5, states that one lap must be completed following the unlapping procedure,” the governing body said. It added: “This process was followed by Race Operations.” The FIA also said the “Safety Car In This Lap” message “was displayed erroneously due to a software error.”
Brundle, speaking on Sky Sports F1 and later writing in his column, said that explanation did not address the bigger issue. His objection was that the current system takes too long on long circuits because race control effectively waits for lapped cars to catch the queue before the leaders can be released.
“Whatever the regulations say, it’s not right to wait, especially on long circuits,” Martin Brundle, former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 analyst, said on the broadcast. “You don't have to wait for them all to plod around to the back.”
Brundle argued the purpose of allowing backmarkers through is to stop them interfering with the fight at the front, not to force them all the way back onto the tail of the field before a restart. He said the regulations state that after lapped cars overtake the lead-lap runners, the safety car extinguishes its lights, and he questioned whether the wording truly requires waiting until those cars have rejoined the back.
He also suggested the current approach is especially ill-suited to venues such as Silverstone and Spa, where the lap length magnifies the delay. In Brundle’s view, that turns a late safety car into an almost automatic guarantee that the race will stay neutralized to the flag.
His preferred solutions were to change the procedure rather than keep relying on a system that prioritizes unlapping over racing. Brundle pointed to IndyCar’s method of sending lapped cars through the pit lane to rejoin at the back, and also suggested a simpler F1 version in which those cars would just drop behind the lead-lap pack. He said a red-flag restart was another option, even if it would take longer to organize.
In his Sky Sports F1 column, Brundle summed up the trade-off bluntly: “Instead, we prioritise runners who haven't been good enough, for whatever reason, on the day, instead of the leaders and most importantly the fans.”
That leaves Silverstone’s controversy as more than a one-off software mistake. The FIA may have followed the current regulation, but Brundle’s argument is that the regulation itself now needs scrutiny if F1 wants to avoid late safety cars routinely blocking a proper fight to the flag.