F1 drivers given clampdown on dangerous safety car restarts

Verstappen, Leclerc, Saudi Arabia, Safety Car — Photo: © LAT Images

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F1 drivers given clampdown on dangerous safety car restarts

Race director Niels Wittich has issued warning after incidents this season

Ian Parkes

Saturday 9 April 2022 07:15 Updated: 07:32

The FIA has warned F1's drivers against potentially dangerous safety car restarts in the wake of what has been witnessed this season.

Niels Wittich, one of two new race directors brought in to replace the axed Michael Masi, has issued a clampdown ahead of Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

The directive comes after counterpart Eduardo Freitas oversaw the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in which Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen played cat and mouse with one another after Williams driver Nicholas Latifi's crash.

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Verstappen, in particular, has developed a habit of pulling virtually alongside a rival after the safety car has peeled away and the games begin building up to the restart line.

Following on from the events at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Wittich has now made clear to the drivers that such antics will not be tolerated in the future.

An updated version of Wittich's event notes read: "In order to avoid the likelihood of accidents before the safety car returns to the pits, from the point at which the lights on the car are turned out, drivers must proceed at a pace which involves no erratic acceleration or braking nor any manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart."

For clarification, the notes provide a diagram of what will be allowed and what won't be tolerated which can be seen below.

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