The FIA has surprisingly released a statement regrading the pace of the safety car used in F1 amid talks of difference from the drivers.
Since the start of the 2022 F1 season and even before, the pace of the safety car has been questioned several times from the drivers who are leading the pack behind it. The major talking point has been about the slow pace of the safety cars which slows the cars.
This is in turn affects the tyre warm-up. All of the three races in the 2022 F1 season has seen safety car periods, with the first two races featuring the Mercedes safety car while Australia featuring the Aston Martin for the first time in the year.
The Australian GP post-race press conference led to joke among drivers, where George Russell noted that the Mercedes safety car is about five seconds faster than the Aston Martin. Even Max Verstappen felt the pace difference between the two different cars.
Charles Leclerc sort of agreed to the statements, but noted that he saw Aston Martin sliding around the corners and understood the situation which is why he didn’t complain. But then he joked that they could use a Ferrari as a safety car in future.
With days gone, the FIA – surprisingly – released a statement to defend the pace of the safety car. The governing body notes that the pace of the safety car is decided by the F1 Race Control to bunch up the field and not by the capabilities of the car itself.
The FIA further adds that the pace of the safety car is a secondary matter in this regard where the safety of the drivers and others involved is the primary target. Here’s the full statement in this regard:
Here’s what some of the F1 drivers said
