{"id":4176,"date":"2021-11-25T20:01:30","date_gmt":"2021-11-25T20:01:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/?page_id=4176"},"modified":"2021-11-25T20:01:30","modified_gmt":"2021-11-25T20:01:30","slug":"what-is-the-safety-car-in-formula-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ukgamblingsites.com\/sports-betting\/f1\/what-is-the-safety-car-in-formula-1\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Safety Car in Formula 1?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"F1
ph-stop<\/a>, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Across almost all sports, the safety of the competitors is always of paramount importance and Formula 1 is no exception.<\/p>\n

In fact, it is one of the sports in which safety is more of a concern than most.<\/p>\n

Driving cars that exceed 200mph certainly poses its risks and things can go wrong whether it is two cars colliding or the occurrence of a major mechanical failure.<\/p>\n

Although some problems do not require much in the way of intervention, there are times when the safety car needs to be employed to ensure rider safety.<\/p>\n

What Is A Safety Car And What Is Its Purpose?<\/h2>\n

\"ArmouredWhen thinking of the term \u2018safety car\u2019 you might think of the reinforced, bullet-proof car with run-flat tires which is used to ferry presidents of the United States or A-list celebs. In Formula 1 though, the safety car itself is not especially \u2018safe\u2019; instead, the name refers to the purpose it serves. The actual manufacturer and model of the safety car are liable to change, as we will discuss later on, but generally speaking, it is simply a road-legal car, often a very quick one.<\/p>\n

Although the make\/model of the car has changed over time, the purpose of the safety car has remained constant. Its job is to head out on the track and then dictate the speed that all the F1 cars should travel at. As no unlapped car is permitted to overtake the safety car, they must all stay behind it and this inevitably means going much slower than they normally would.<\/p>\n

Only drivers that have been lapped can pass the safety car and join the back of the queue. Whether lapped or unlapped, there can be no jockeying for position behind the safety car, helping to bring a certain calmness to proceedings. Cars can, however, make up any distance on the car in front, providing they do not overtake them until the safety car pulls back into the pit lane and the circuit green lights appear.<\/p>\n

Reasons The Safety Car Is Deployed In Formula 1<\/h3>\n

Though we know the purpose of the safety car, let\u2019s look at some of the most common reasons for the safety car to be deployed in Formula 1:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Accident<\/strong> – By far the most common reason for the safety car being deployed in F1 races is after an accident, often because there is potential for cars to hit the car that had been involved in an accident or to enable medics and fire crews to attend in relative safety.<\/li>\n
  • Debris from accident<\/strong> – Related to the above, if an accident has caused debris to be strewn across the track, this could cause a hazard to other cars. The safety car can slow things down sufficiently for the track to be cleared, again in relative safety.<\/li>\n
  • Debris from a car<\/strong> – Similar to the above, but this might be debris that has fallen off a car, for example a wing has somehow fallen off and caused a hazard on the track.<\/li>\n
  • Rain<\/strong> – Rain, particularly a heavy downpour that come son quickly, can cause the safety car to be deployed, especially when most of the cars are on dry tyres.<\/li>\n
  • Stranded car(s)<\/strong> – Cars that could have had a mechanical meltdown of some sort and just stopped on the track can be a serious hazard to other cars and drivers, hence the safety car would be deployed.<\/li>\n
  • Person on the track<\/strong> – On occasion, quite unbelievably, there have been people who\u2019ve run onto the F1 track in the middle of a race (such as the British Grand Prix in 2003, see below). This inevitably causes the safety car to be deployed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n