The British Grand Prix ended under safety car conditions, sealing Charles Leclerc’s victory when it had been thought the last lap would be contested under a green flag.
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The FIA finally explained this confusion by a simple “software bug”.
Max Verstappen’s crash six laps from the finish completely disrupted the end of the race at Silverstone.
Incorrect message…
After the Dutchman went off track at Stowe corner, the safety car was deployed to allow marshals to remove the Red Bull stuck in the gravel trap. Once the car was removed, race control applied the usual procedure by allowing lapped drivers to overtake the pack to regain their lap.
However, the sporting regulations require a full lap to be completed after this procedure before the safety car can return to the pits. This extra lap was precisely the last lap of the Grand Prix.
The confusion arose when the timing screens displayed the message “Safety Car In This Lap” on the penultimate lap, suggesting that the safety car would return to the pits and allow a final lap under green flag.
The FIA’s explanations
But just a few seconds later, the race management system again indicated that the safety car was deployed. The Mercedes AMG GT driven by Bernd Mayländer therefore remained on track until the checkered flag, definitively freezing the positions.
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In response to questions raised by this situation, the FIA quickly provided clarifications: “The regulation regarding the safety car procedure, article B5.13.5, states that a lap must be completed after the procedure allowing lapped drivers to overtake. This protocol was indeed respected by race operations. The message ‘Safety Car In This Lap’ appeared in error due to a software failure.”
Since the regulation was ultimately applied to the letter, Charles Leclerc thus secured his first victory since 2024 without having to defend his position during a last lap under green flag.
Russell saved second place
The Ferrari driver had stopped to put on new soft tires in anticipation of a possible restart. Behind him, George Russell had made the opposite bet by staying on track with his worn medium tires. The Briton ultimately kept second place, notably benefiting from Lewis Hamilton’s pit stop.
This end of the race is reminiscent of the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. At the time, the procedure requiring an extra lap after lapped cars were allowed to overtake was precisely not respected, allowing a restart for a final lap that decided the outcome of the world championship.
At Silverstone, nearly five years later, the FIA applied the regulation to the letter. Only a bug in the display system made it seem, for a few seconds, that a last lap under green flag would be contested. A thought from a certain Toto Wolff: if the FIA had shown the same rigor in 2021… RIP Michael Masi!
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