The use of the safety car in Abu Dhabi was of course the biggest controversy of the 2021 Formula 1 season.
As a reminder, Michael Masi had decided to relaunch the race one lap from the goal when only five of the eight late drivers had split from the leader, namely those who were between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, and the rest is known to all.
Article 48.12 of the regulations stipulates that “any car that is one lap late must overtake the leader and the safety car” and that once this has been done, “the safety car will return to the pits at the end of the next lap.” It is for this reason that Mercedes had complained about the result of the race, even if the The Brackley-based team ultimately did not appeal.
If we play on words, we could argue that “any car” does not mean “every car,” but Mercedes expected probab only for the race to end behind the safety car, three latecomers not having split.
The 2022 regulations should therefore be much clearer and determine whether or not , all cars moving one lap behind the leader must overtake before restarting the race, or leave the freedom to the race director to decide for himself.
Concerning the restart of the race, it will also be necessary to be precise: should we wait until the end of the lap following the splitting of the latecomers (as stipulated in the current regulations) or restart as soon as they have passed the safety car?
Finally , some people mention the addition of a rule surpassing that of the safety car: a mandatory interruption of the race by red flag if you are less than 5 or 10 laps from the end, just to avoid skewing the end of the race. a Grand Prix.
The FIA’s response to the ongoing investigation will be made on March 18 and there is no doubt that the regulations who will be chosen for the safety car will be scrutinized very closely.
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