Laps wasted for nothing? The safety car debate reignites
The doubling procedure lengthens the periods under security car, to the detriment of the show. Should this rule be abolished? The debate has been rekindled after two prolonged interruptions at Imola and Barcelona.
When laps under the safety car frustrate drivers and fans. “They love to waste laps,” said an annoyed Lewis Hamilton over the radio during the Spanish Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion thus summarized the growing sense of impatience in the paddock and among some fans, caused by long periods behind the safety car. The issue: the rule allowing lapped drivers to overtake the safety car to get back on the lead lap. A well-known procedure, but recently, it has cost valuable racing minutes.
In Barcelona, the single-seater of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, at a standstill, was cleared in six minutes. Yet, the pack remained neutralized for ten long minutes. Approximately 40% of this interruption was thus devoted to unlapping. This observation raises the question again: is this rule still necessary in modern Formula 1?
A rule from another time?
For the detractors of this procedure, the answer is clear: « The safety car must stay on track for the shortest time possible », says a team engineer quoted by RaceFans. « Once the track is secured, having the backmarkers drive around unnecessarily prolongs the wait. »
Especially since F1 enforces very strict blue flag rules. Unlike in other championships like IndyCar, backmarkers are quickly instructed to give way. « So why lose three or four laps of racing when they could simply move aside right after the restart? »
Maintain sports integrity
But not everyone agrees. For others, it’s about preserving the fairness of the sport. « If we leave the backmarkers in the middle of the pack, we skew the restart », argues a technical consultant. « Drivers fighting for points can be separated by a lapped car. It creates unnecessary confusion. »
And it should be noted that the total time under the safety car is not solely due to this procedure. In Imola, once again following Antonelli’s retirement, the removal of the car alone took eleven minutes due to the lack of quick clearances in that section of the track. The unlapping, in this case, only took three minutes.
A possible compromise?
The FIA could consider a compromise, such as an immediate restart followed by a progressive withdrawal of the backmarkers using blue flags. An idea that had already been mentioned after the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 but never really explored since.
In the meantime, the debate divides. Should the purity of the race be preserved at the risk of losing laps? Or should a disrupted hierarchy be accepted to offer more immediate spectacle? The 2025 season could very well force the FIA to decide.
