F1 Safety Car procedure tweaked in latest sporting regs

Formula 1's sporting regulations for 2022 feature a slight change to the sport's Safety Car procedure on the back of last year's controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Last December at Yas Marina, in the closing stages of F1's title decider, former F1 race director Michael Masi circumvented the normal Safety Car procedure by ordering those lapped drivers positioned between race leader Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to unlap themselves ahead the race's restart.

Masi undertook the contested initiative to offer fans one final and decisive lap of racing between F1's two title contenders, with Verstappen who was on fresher tyres ultimately beating Hamilton to the finish line and to the title.

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At the time, responding to Mercedes' post-race protest of the safety Car procedure, Masi argued that it had "long been agreed by all the teams that where possible it was highly desirable for the race to end in a ‘green’ condition".

In a bid to speed up a race's restart process, the FIA has updated Article 55.13 of F1's Sporting Regulations.

"Unless the clerk of the course considers the presence of the Safety Car is still necessary, once the message 'Lapped cars may now overtake' has been sent to all competitors using the official messaging system, the Safety Car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap."

The update means that the Safety Car will no longer need to wait until the last lapped car has passed the leader to withdraw and return to the pits, a change that should ensure a quicker restart process in the future.

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