The FIA has explained the circumstances which led to the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix ending under Safety Car.
Max Verstappen won the race from Charles Leclerc and George Russell in what amounted to an underwhelming climax to the event.
Daniel Ricciardo rolled to a stop on Lap 46 between the two Lesmos with an apparent power unit failure to draw the Safety Car.
The McLaren stopped away from an easy opening for marshals, whose task was complicated by the car begin stuck in gear.
While the recovery itself is not in question, there have been criticisms of the way Race Control managed the field under the control of the Safety Car.
It has been argued that it took too long to order the field correctly and that delay came at the cost of a racing finish.
Others suggest the red flag should have been showed to allow the McLaren to be cleared and allow a final sprint to the chequered flag.
“While every effort was made to recover Car #3 quickly and resume racing, the situation developed and marshals were unable to put the car into neutral and push it into the escape road,” an FIA spokesperson said post-race.
“As the safety of the recovery operation is our only priority, and the incident was not significant enough to require a red flag, the race ended under Safety Car following the procedures agreed between the FIA and all Competitors.
“The timing of the Safety Car period within a race has no bearing on this procedure.”
The debate surrounding the use of the Safety Car late in races comes against the backdrop of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
In that instance, the Safety Car was withdrawn with the field not completely washed to allow for a final racing lap.
The net result was Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton to claim the world championship in one of the most controversial finales to a season in the world championship’s history.
It prompted a raft of reforms within the FIA, including having the role of race director shared, supported by a Remote Operations Centre, automation of previously manual processes, and the addition of experienced staff in race control.
There were discussions between the FIA, teams, and the sport’s commercial rights holder as to how a late incident can be best managed to ensure a racing conclusion.
The outcome of those discussions was the current set of regulations remains the most agreeable solution.
Ironically, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is set to meet with officials and team managers tomorrow to discuss sporting matters as part of a ‘Formula 1 Summit’.
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