Brundle Calls for Safety‑Car Rule Overhaul to Prevent Anti‑Climactic British GP Finishes

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle called on the FIA to revamp its safety‑car procedures, suggesting three specific reforms after the underwhelming conclusion to the British Grand Prix.

At the historic Silverstone venue, Charles Leclerc appeared poised to claim victory in the final laps, only to face a challenge from rising competitor Kimi Antonelli.

Nevertheless, the safety car was called on lap 48 of 52 after four‑time champion Max Verstappen became stuck in the gravel at Stowe Corner.

Consequently, the race concluded behind the safety car, depriving the enthusiastic spectators of a thrilling finale. This outcome stemmed from the unlapping process.

On lap 51, race control allowed eligible lapped vehicles to overtake the leader pack. As Brundle highlighted in his post‑race Sky Sports F1 column, such a procedure can extend safety‑car deployments, particularly on extensive tracks like Silverstone.

\”Provided conditions are deemed safe — such as a dry, sunny day with no spectators, debris, or stranded vehicles — the race director may permit eligible lapped cars to pass the leading pack at a controlled, safe speed,\” Brundle wrote.

\”The original intention was to prevent back‑marker interference with the championship battle and occasionally give lagging drivers a chance to re‑engage, but the mechanism inevitably lengthens safety‑car periods, especially on long circuits such as Silverstone and Spa,\” he observed.

\”I used to debate this extensively with the late Charlie Whiting, as it appears contradictory, especially given the regulation that the safety car should return to the pits on the lap after lapped cars are allowed to pass. Remember Abu Dhabi 2021?\”

Brundle outlined three potential remedies to prevent a similar scenario in forthcoming events.

\”Potential solutions include, for instance, the IndyCar approach whereby, in the final ten laps, lapped cars are required to retreat to the pit lane and re‑enter at the rear of the field,\” he explained. \”Alternatively, the field could simply be ordered to drop the slow cars behind the leaders.\”

\”Or a red‑flag stoppage followed by a standing restart in championship order, though it would be time‑consuming, would prioritise those who performed poorly during the race rather than the race leaders, and, crucially, would serve the fans’ interests,\” he added.

Martin Brundle, Sky Sports F1

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“Provided conditions are deemed safe — such as a dry, sunny day with no spectators, debris, or stranded vehicles — the race director may permit eligible lapped cars to pass the leading pack at a controlled, safe speed,” Brundle wrote.

“The original intention was to prevent back‑marker interference with the championship battle and occasionally give lagging drivers a chance to re‑engage, but the mechanism inevitably lengthens safety‑car periods, especially on long circuits such as Silverstone and Spa,” he observed.

“I used to debate this extensively with the late Charlie Whiting, as it appears contradictory, especially given the regulation that the safety car should return to the pits on the lap after lapped cars are allowed to pass. Remember Abu Dhabi 2021?”

Brundle outlined three potential remedies to prevent a similar scenario in forthcoming events.

“Potential solutions include, for instance, the IndyCar approach whereby, in the final ten laps, lapped cars are required to retreat to the pit lane and re‑enter at the rear of the field,” he added. “Or we could simply have the lapped runners simply drop behind the pack.

“Or throw a red flag and have a standing restart in race order, although this takes a while. 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.”

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