Ferrari returns to rejoice three weeks after Barcelona, on a track where great suffering was expected due to the engine. He does it again with Charles Leclerc, almost two years after the last time, with the Monegasque who can finally breathe a sigh of relief after a rather complicated period.
But events, fortunate from a certain point of view, still leave room for contradiction for the final decision of the Race Direction in managing the Safety Car. We are lap 51 of 52. Looking at the official communications from the FIA, at 17:27:42 the Safety Car is called back to the pits to give the drivers the opportunity to compete in the last lap, after allowing the lapped drivers to overtake the cars at full revs and join the group. However, just eight seconds later, at 17:27:50, the counter-order appears: “Safety Car deployed”. The FIA’s explanation The first plausible explanation, hypothesized right from the start, is that the Race Direction was aware of the impossibility for some drivers to rejoin the group according to the procedure, so much contested after the events of Abu Dhabi 2021. According to what was communicated by the FIA at the end of the race, it was a simple error in the publication of the first message which called the Safety Car to the pits. “The regulation relating to the Safety Car period, article B5.13.5, establishes that one lap must be completed after the splitting procedure – reads the message from the Federation – The message ‘Safety Car in this lap’ was displayed incorrectly due to a software error”. Ferrari had bet on the return of the Safety Car, which had stopped Hamilton to put him on Soft tires and allow him to be in a better position in the battle against Russell. In fact, before Verstappen’s accident, the Englishman from Mercedes was using medium tires that were much newer than Lewis’ Hard ones. A missed opportunity also for Antonelli, who should have tried – albeit with great difficulty – to create a 5 second gap to serve the penalty for track limits and take home at least one point.
Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News
2026-07-05 16:25:00
Race Direction calls out the Safety Car, then changes its mind after 8 seconds
İLGİ ÇEKENLER
Çok Okunanlar
Vasseur: “It’s the media talking about fighting for the world championship”
Ferrari, two victories...
Before Silverstone, Leclerc had opened up to team orders
Can Ferrari dream...
Winning percentage by decade: 2020 onwards (for now) is the worst Ferrari ever
Ferrari, difficult seasons...
Bearman in Red Bull’s sights
Waiting for Verstappen...
Goodwood 2026, the live streaming of the Festival of Speed – LIVE
The super weekend...
Hamilton: “Slower reflexes? At the start I was faster than Antonelli who is 19 years old…”
A polished Hamilton...
Leclerc splits from his personal assistant Joris Trouche
Charles' entourage In...
Webber blindsides Piastri: “Oscar has a contract with McLaren. The rumors of farewell are baseless”
Piastri-McLaren still together...
Ferrari: 200 km for Leclerc and Hamilton in Madrid
Ferrari is the...
Future Verstappen, Marko reappears: Max’s mentor “pinched” with Jos and the manager
Verstappen's future To...
Vasseur: “Leclerc never worried me. He lacked results, not performances”
Ferrari, Leclerc takes...
Red Bull difficulties, Horner “gloats”: “The engine is incredible…”
Red Bull, Horner's...
Mediaset: “MotoGP without Rossi doesn’t work, F1 costs too much”
Mediaset does not...
Mercedes Engine Trick: Activates with an audible signal to the driver
The drivers lift...
Mercedes Engine Trick: Activates with an audible signal to the driver
The drivers lift...
Antonelli and the embrace of the Ferrari mechanics at Goodwood: Mercedes jokes about it
Ferrari's embrace for...




















