The FIA has revised Formula 1’s rules to prevent a repeat of a confusing situation which occured during the Australian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen was surprised to see Oliver Bearman’s Haas emerge from the pits immediately in front of him during a Safety Car period on lap 41. Bearman had been allowed to un-lap himself moments earlier, then came into the pits which dropped him back behind the Safety Car.This was a cause for concern at Red Bull, as it left Verstappen with a lapped car between him and the leading McLaren drivers. Red Bull mistakenly believed Bearman would remain there until the restart.
Verstappen asked his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase: “So this car is now staying here, or what?” Lambiase told him: “That’s correct. He’ll have to let you go immediately [after the restart].” In fact, Bearman was allowed to un-lap himself again, which allowed Verstappen to restart the race with no lapped cars in front of him.
The FIA has changed its rules to guard against a repeat of this situation by giving the race director the power to close the pit lane entrance when drivers are un-lapping themselves during a Safety Car period.
Updated regulations published yesterday state: “If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, the message ‘lapped cars may now overtake’ will be sent to all competitors using the official messaging system, and the green light on the safety car will be illuminated to signal to all cars that have been lapped by the leader that they are required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the Safety Car. […]
“Having overtaken the cars on the lead lap and the Safety Car these cars should then proceed around the track at an appropriate speed, without overtaking and make every effort to take up position at the back of the line of cars behind the Safety Car. Whilst such cars are proceeding around the track to rejoin the line of cars behind the Safety Car, and at the sole discretion of the race director, the pit lane exit may be closed when the Safety Car and line of cars behind it are approaching and passing the pit lane exit.”
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2025 Australian Grand Prix
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Jere (@jerejj)
1st May 2025, 12:13
A good change, but Bearman is the Haas driver who ended up lapped again in that situation rather than Ocon who was further ahead & therefore had a big enough gap to remain within the lead lap.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
1st May 2025, 12:32
@jerejj Quite right, thanks, have changed that.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
1st May 2025, 13:47
Yeh it was a bit of a Massi wasnt it
osnola
2nd May 2025, 13:36
That counts only when Lewis is involved and during the last deciding race of the season.
Neil Moore
1st May 2025, 14:11
All lapped cars should move left and let lead cars overtake, this way they still lapped and out of the way
rpla
1st May 2025, 22:09
Or let them pass through the pits to the same effect. If fuel usage is a concern, artificially decrease their fuel allowance by one lap worth of fuel (starting fuel over nr of laps), so instead of being advantaged of having more fuel for fewer laps relative to competitors, they’d be disadvantaged by having a marginally heavier car until the end of the race. So if they need to provide 1L for inspection at the end, lapped cars who skipped a lap would need to provide say 1.5L instead.
osnola
2nd May 2025, 13:36
No: they will do less laps that way.
S Arkazam
1st May 2025, 15:39
Would be smarter to close the pit lane exit under those circumstances.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
1st May 2025, 15:42
Maybe it’s a bit boring. But I wish we had onboards of cars that have unlapped themselves. It must be weird experience, going at racing speed (probably) completely alone, or if they’re not alone knowing that the others that are going past the safety car can’t overtake them.
They’ll never catch the tail, but how far around can they get before it goes green for the pack. I guess the answer is that not many people care about them. Button coming back in Montreal proves it’s doable. Though unlikely is probably a generous description.
PT (@pt)
2nd May 2025, 14:26
Check out NASCAR where lapped drivers can get back to the lead lap.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
1st May 2025, 17:01
The pits should be closed during the lapped cars may unlap period. Unlapping is allowed at the end of a safety car and cars have plenty of time to pit prior to when that command is given.
Alesici
1st May 2025, 17:35
What was the strategic benefit of Bearman doing this? It seemed silly to pit that late into the safety car period as he wasted the opportunity to try to catch up the lap he had lost. But maybe I’m missing something. If there was no benefit, it seems odd to rule against it.
Jonathan Parkin
1st May 2025, 20:26
The problem with this is it artificially lengthens a SC period. Normally unless it rains the average SC period is between 2 and 4 laps. But adding in lapped cars unlapping themselves can add another 2-3 laps on top of that as they can’t start this procedure until the track is clear.
We didn’t do this originally when the SC was originally introduced so why do we have it. Drivers managed perfectly well getting pass the lapped traffic before and they will again
Jonathan Parkin
1st May 2025, 20:35
I don’t know why we have this procedure in the first place. The average SC period is 2-4 laps if its dry. Unlapping adds another 2-3 on top which artificially extends the SC period, because they can’t start unlapping until the track is clear
We didn’t do this originally. For years when the SC period ended all the lead cars overtook the lapped cars. It was a skill you had to have, now it’s been taken away. The drivers of old coped perfectly well
Coventry Climax
2nd May 2025, 2:42
Just stop this entire unlapping nonsense. Cause that’s what ‘nonsense’ literally is; not making sense.
Just taking up another couple of pointless pages in the rulebook.
Señor Sjon
2nd May 2025, 7:31
So much this. Usually another 1-2 laps wasted due to this. The leader had lost time and tire life passing backmarkers, why should the ones following him have a free pass?
I’m glad they don’t let them recover completely to the back of the field again. That would mean they have everything at optimal temperature and the ones at the back don’t.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
2nd May 2025, 18:28
There was a time, back in the 2000s, when the pit exit was closed while the Safety Car train was passing as a matter of course. That probably should have stayed the regulation, but it took another questionable regulation (unlapping under the Safety Car) to show it.