Towards a modification of the rule related to the safety car for lapped drivers?
The teams should meet this weekend in Interlagos to discuss possible changes to the sporting regulations for the 2015 season, such as modifying the rule allowing drivers who are one lap down to regain a lap during the safety car period.
A working group on sports regulation is set to take place this weekend in Interlagos as part of the Brazilian Grand Prix, with discussions on possible changes for the next season on the agenda.
According to Autosport, the teams are expected to discuss a possible upcoming change to the rule allowing cars more than one lap down to un-lap themselves during a safety car intervention. This rule often leads to an extension of the safety car intervention time as the cars catch up to the back of the pack.
According to sources from the British newspaper, one proposed change is that instead of allowing cars to overtake the pack and then rejoin at the back, the plan would be to let these cars be overtaken to find themselves at the back of the pack, which should be quicker to achieve. The cars would then be credited with an additional lap to ensure they are not disadvantaged.
The implementation of this system could thus allow the race to restart more quickly during the intervention of the safety car.
Other points should also be discussed such as a possible modification of the penalty scale related to the engine, some being considered too harsh, a possible review of the current 5-second penalty, or the use of current cars for demonstration events or possible changes to Parc Fermé.
In 2015, F1 is set to introduce standing starts after safety car interventions, but some teams have expressed concerns about this measure, and the change could still be abandoned by then if all the teams reach an agreement.
