se non siete abbastanza allibiti da ciò che avete visto oggi in pista, leggetevi il regolamento!! come al solito, poco chiaro, lacunoso e con un articolo a dir poco controverso (quello che ho messo in neretto)..
40) SAFETY CAR
40.1 The FIA safety car will be driven by an FIA appointed driver and will carry an FIA observer capable of
recognising all the competing cars who is in permanent radio contact with race control.
40.2 Thirty minutes before the start of the formation lap the safety car will take up position at the front of the grid
and remain there until the five minute signal is given. At this point (except under 40.14 below) it will cover a
whole lap of the circuit and take up position.
40.3 The safety car may be brought into operation to neutralise a race upon the order of the clerk of the course.
It will be used only if competitors or officials are in immediate physical danger but the circumstances are
not such as to necessitate suspending the race.
40.4 When the order is given to deploy the safety car the message "SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED" will be
displayed on the timing monitors and all marshal's posts will display waved yellow flags and "SC" boards
for the duration of the intervention.
40.5 From this time, any car being driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or which is deemed potentially
dangerous to other drivers at any time whilst the safety car is deployed will be reported to the stewards.
This will apply whether any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pit lane.
40.6 The safety car will join the track with its orange lights illuminated and will do so regardless of where the
race leader is.
40.7 All competing cars must then reduce speed and form up in line behind the safety car no more than ten car
lengths apart. In order to ensure that drivers reduce speed sufficiently, from the time at which the “SAFETY
CAR DEPLOYED” message is shown on the timing monitors until the time that each car crosses the first
safety car line for the first time, drivers must stay above the minimum time set by the FIA ECU.
With the following exceptions, no car may overtake until it has passed the first safety car line for the first
time when the safety car is returning to the pits. However, if the safety car is still deployed at the beginning
of the last lap, or is deployed during the last lap, Article 40.13 will apply.
- if a car is signalled to do so from the safety car ;
- under 40.14 below ;
- any car entering the pits may pass another car or the safety car remaining on the track after it has
crossed the first safety car line ;
- any car leaving the pits may be overtaken by another car on the track before it crosses the second
safety car line ;
- when the safety car is returning to the pits it may be overtaken by cars on the track once it has
crossed the first safety car line ;
- any car stopping in its designated garage area whilst the safety car is using the pit lane (see 40.10
below) may be overtaken ;
- if any car slows with an obvious problem.
40.8 When ordered to do so by the clerk of the course the observer in the car will use a green light to signal to
any cars between it and the race leader that they should pass. These cars will continue at reduced speed
and without overtaking until they reach the line of cars behind the safety car.
40.9 The safety car shall be used at least until the leader is behind it and all remaining cars are lined up behind
him.
Once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within ten car lengths of it (except under 40.11
below) and all remaining cars must keep the formation as tight as possible.
40.10 Whilst the safety car is in operation, competing cars may enter the pit lane, but may only rejoin the track
when the green light at the end of the pit lane is on. It will be on at all times except when the safety car and
the line of cars following it are about to pass or are passing the pit exit . A car rejoining the track must
proceed at an appropriate speed until it reaches the end of the line of cars behind the safety car.
Under certain circumstances the clerk of the course may ask the safety car to use the pit lane. In these
cases, and provided its orange lights remain illuminated, all cars must follow it into the pit lane without
overtaking. Any car entering the pit lane under these circumstances may stop at its designated garage
area.
40.11 When the clerk of the course decides it is safe to call in the safety car the message "SAFETY CAR IN
THIS LAP" will be displayed on the timing monitors and the car's orange lights will be extinguished This will
be the signal to the teams and drivers that it will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.
At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary, fall more than
ten car lengths behind it.
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 other manoeuvre which is likely to endanger other drivers or impede the restart.
As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the yellow flags and SC boards will be withdrawn and, other
than on the last lap of the race, replaced by waved green flags with green lights at the Line. These will be
displayed until the last car crosses the Line.
40.12 Each lap completed while the safety car is deployed will be counted as a race lap.
40.13 If the safety car is still deployed at the beginning of the last lap, or is deployed during the last lap, it will
enter the pit lane at the end of the lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without
overtaking.
40.14 Under certain circumstances the race may be started behind the safety car or resumed in accordance with
Article 42.5(a). In either case, at the ten minute signal its orange lights will be illuminated, this being the
signal to the drivers that the race will be started (or resumed) behind the safety car. At the same time a
message confirming this will be displayed on the timing monitors.
When the green lights are illuminated the safety car will leave the grid with all cars following in grid order
no more than ten car lengths apart. During a race start there will be no formation lap and race will start
when the green lights are illuminated.
Overtaking, during the first lap only, is permitted if a car is delayed when leaving its grid position and cars
behind cannot avoid passing it without unduly delaying the remainder of the field. In this case, drivers may
only overtake to re-establish the original starting order.
Any driver who is delayed leaving the grid may not overtake another moving car if he was stationary after
the remainder of the cars had crossed the Line, and must form up at the back of the line of cars behind the
safety car. If more than one driver is affected, they must form up at the back of the field in the order they
left the grid.
Either of the penalties under Articles 16.3a) or b) will be imposed on any driver who, in the opinion of the
Stewards, unnecessarily overtook another car during the first lap.