Former System 1 driver and Sky Sports activities analyst Martin Brundle has questioned the FIA’s dealing with of the 2026 British Grand Prix’s concluding laps, arguing that race management isn’t obligated to attend for lapped automobiles to catch the pack earlier than restarting the race.
The race on the iconic Silverstone circuit ended below security automobile situations, denying the gang a green-flag end.
The protection automobile was deployed on lap 48 after Max Verstappen spun out and into the gravel at Stowe in entrance of the Landostand. Whereas race chief Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who was working in second on the time, each pitted below the security automobile, Mercedes’ George Russell stayed out and took second place.
Because the chequered flag drew nearer, the lapped automobiles have been instructed to unlap themselves, and it regarded as if there may need been a ultimate lap of racing when the ‘Security Automotive In This Lap’ message appeared on lap 51. Regardless of the message, the security automobile stayed out.
“I’m hoping there’s a separate purpose for not pitting the security automobile and never only a change of thoughts, or a mistake, to not carry it in. We have been all denied a correct finish to the grand prix,” Brundle defined throughout the Sky Sports activities F1 broadcast.
“The entire level of letting the backmarkers by way of is so they do not interrupt the leaders and get entangled within the race.
“When they’re half a Silverstone lap away, they don’t seem to be going to get in the way in which with one lap to go. You do not have to attend for all of them to plod round to the again. Possibly one thing else occurred.”
FIA Security Automotive
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
He added: “Regardless of the laws say, it isn’t proper to attend, particularly on a protracted circuit, for the lapped automobiles to get by way of. The entire purpose that got here in was to cease lapped runners getting in the way in which of an enormous grandstand end and it generally brings gamers again in and they’re a part of the race once more, so there is a present component to that as effectively.
“The laws say ‘if the race director considers it protected for them to take action’ and it was protected as a result of it was a dry day and wasn’t pouring with rain and there was no particles, ‘the message lapped automobiles could now overtake will likely be despatched to all rivals’.
“It then goes on to say within the many pages of laws ‘having overtaken the F1 automobiles on the lead lap, the security automobile will extinguish its lights’.
“It would not say they should be again of the queue. There’s nothing to say it’s important to wait till they’ve arrived to the again, it simply says ‘it’s important to proceed at an affordable velocity’.”
The FIA has since launched an evidence for why the race ended below security automobile situations. “The protection automobile interval regulation, Article B5. 13.5, states that one lap have to be accomplished following the unlapping process,” the assertion learn.
“This course of was adopted by Race Operations. The ‘Security Automotive In This Lap’ message was displayed erroneously because of a software program error.”
Pictures from British GP – Sunday
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