FIA Explains Why British Grand Prix Ended Under Safety Car Despite 'Erroneous' Message

A late Safety Car at the British Grand Prix denied fans a final-lap shootout, but Formula 1's governing body has confirmed the race could not legally be restarted despite an on-screen message suggesting otherwise.

The confusion began after Max Verstappen spun into the gravel at Stowe with six laps remaining, prompting the deployment of the Safety Car while marshals recovered his stranded Red Bull.

Once the track had been cleared, Race Control instructed lapped cars to overtake the field and rejoin the back of the pack, following the standard Formula 1 Safety Car procedure.

Moments later, timing screens displayed the message "Safety Car In This Lap", appearing to signal that racing would resume for the final lap.

However, that message was quickly withdrawn, and the Safety Car remained on track until the chequered flag, allowing Charles Leclerc to secure victory ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

FIA Explain British Grand Prix Ending

After the race, the FIA explained that the restart message had been shown "erroneously due to a software error" and that the correct procedure had ultimately been followed.

Under Article B5.13.5 of the Sporting Regulations, once lapped cars are permitted to unlap themselves, a full lap must then be completed before the Safety Car can return to the pits.

Because the unlapping procedure began so late in the race, there were not enough laps remaining to satisfy that requirement and still restart the race.

The incident inevitably drew comparisons with the controversial finish to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when the Safety Car procedure was applied incorrectly to create a final-lap restart that decided the world championship.

This time, the FIA chose to follow the regulations rather than prioritise a dramatic finish.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said he would have preferred the rules to have been enforced in the same way in 2021, while Russell and Hamilton both agreed that, although finishing behind the Safety Car was disappointing for spectators, applying the rules consistently was the correct decision.