Formula 1 has made a minor revision to its safety car rules for the 2022 season after the controversial restart that marred last season’s finale.
The change deals with how races are restarted when latecomers pass the safety car, which was central to the disputed conclusion of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Previously, when drivers were allowed to rejoin the lead lap at the end of a safety car period, the rules stated that the safety car would return to the pits “once the last car has passed the leader”.
In amended rules for 2022, the safety car can now return to the pits “once the message lapped cars can now overtake has been sent to all competitors using the official messaging system”according to the updated rules released today.
This change should allow safety car periods to end more quickly after drivers have passed the leader to get back into the leader lap.
Further revisions to safety car procedures and rules are expected before the start of the season.
In addition, the FIA also adopted the abandonment of the rule which forced the drivers of the top 10 to use the tires of Q2 at the start of the race (article to be found here).