FIA CLARIFIES SAFETY CAR CALL IN ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
Fans unhappy after anticlimactic race at Monza last weekend
Formula 1’s rulers have defended the fact that the end of the Italian Grand Prix was taken under a safety car period.
Several drivers were angered by the move as the race was reaching its climax. The safety car was deployed when Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren stopped on lap 47 and marshals had trouble moving the stricken car. Despite the fact the machine had been removed on lap 52, with one more tour to run, the event finished under caution as there was not enough time to cycle through the lapped cars – which had been the cause of controversy at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021.
An FIA spokesperson said: “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.
“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.”
Despite that, Red Bull boss Christian Horner says that the initial deployment of the safety car could have contributed to the issue. “There was enough time to get that race going,” Horner told Sky. “I think they picked up the wrong car, they picked up George Russell.”
The crowd was vociferous in its feelings after the chequered flag had fallen and jeered winner Max Verstappen, who could have been in for a battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had the race got going again.
“It happens, everyone speaks to me about it with the booing and stuff but at the end of the day I am here to try and win the race which we’ve done,” Verstappen said.
“It is not going to spoil my day, I am just enjoying the moment.”