The FIA has revealed that a software malfunction – not a late change of heart by race control – was responsible for the confusion that overshadowed the closing stages of Sunday's British Grand Prix, where fans were denied the prospect of a dramatic final-lap sprint to the finish.
With Max Verstappen crashing out at Stowe in the closing laps, the Safety Car was deployed to neutralise the race as marshals recovered the stranded Red Bull.
As the field circulated behind the Safety Car, lapped cars were instructed to overtake and rejoin at the back of the pack, following standard procedure.
Moments later, timing screens indicated the Safety Car would return to the pits at the end of the penultimate lap, seemingly setting up one last racing lap at Silverstone.
Instead, the message was quickly replaced by another confirming that the Safety Car would remain on track, leaving drivers, teams and spectators puzzled as the race ultimately finished under caution.
FIA points to software error
In the aftermath of the race, the FIA explained that the initial restart notification had been displayed incorrectly and that race control had, in fact, followed the sporting regulations throughout.
"The Safety Car period regulation, Article B5. 13.5, states that one lap must be completed following the unlapping procedure. This process was followed by Race Operations. The “Safety Car In This Lap” message was displayed erroneously due to a software error,” read a statement from the FIA.
The clarification also addressed questions over why lapped cars were allowed to overtake the Safety Car in the first place, given that keeping them in position could have enabled racing to resume sooner.
However, the FIA's regulations require the unlapping process once the race director initiates it. Under Article 13.5.a of the sporting regulations, once lapped cars are instructed to pass the Safety Car, an additional lap must be completed before the Safety Car can return to the pits.
That requirement meant there was never a legal route to restarting the race after the unlapping procedure had begun, regardless of what briefly appeared on the timing screens.
2025 British Grand Prix - Race resultsThe incident inevitably revived memories of the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale, when an unconventional application of the Safety Car rules led to sweeping changes in race control procedures.
This time, however, the FIA insists the regulations were applied correctly from start to finish, with the only error being an incorrect message generated by the timing software rather than a mistake in the race's management.
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