2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has put forward a rule change proposal following the chaotic safety car ending to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The race was neutralised after a late crash involving Red Bull’s Max Verstappen brought out the safety car on lap 48 of 52.
Lewis Hamilton chose to pit for fresh soft tyres under the safety car, while Mercedes’ George Russell stayed out, allowing Russell to jump ahead of Hamilton into second place.
Fans at Silverstone and watching at home were anticipating a dramatic final-lap shootout between Hamilton on new rubber and Russell ahead on worn tyres.
Hope grew further when a “safety car in this lap” message was displayed by race control after Verstappen’s car was cleared and lapped cars had overtaken the safety car.
However, the safety car remained on track and ultimately led the field to the chequered flag, neutralising all positions and denying fans the thrilling finale they had been waiting for.
The FIA released a statement afterwards admitting that a software error was responsible for the erroneous “safety car in this lap” message being displayed.
A spokesperson confirmed: “The SC 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 ‘SC In This Lap’ message was displayed erroneously due to a software error.”
Audible booing could be heard from the Silverstone grandstands as the race concluded, with the Sky Sports F1 team also expressing clear dissatisfaction with how events unfolded.
Button, speaking immediately after the race to Sky Sports F1, urged perspective while still acknowledging that the rules need addressing going forward.
“My thoughts are that we shouldn’t talk about it too much because we just had an amazing race, it was an amazing British Grand Prix,” Button said.
He added: “I understand the rules should change, I do. A great finish to the race would have been awesome. But a lot of them end under safety cars, but as a race I thought it was really good.”
Button expressed genuine surprise at the final order, saying: “Lots of overtaking, lots of action. I didn’t think those would be the top five at the end of the race!”
The former champion then outlined his proposed solution, drawing inspiration from how American motorsport handles similar situations at the end of races.
“It would be nice – I mean it’s very difficult because of fuel loads and stuff – but like in other forms of motorsport, especially in the States, where they push it an extra lap or push it an extra two laps,” Button explained.
He concluded: “If you get a yellow flag in that period it gets pushed on again. It’s tricky because they are very tight on fuel loads but it would be nice to see a great finale.”
The FIA is now expected to review both the software failure that caused the erroneous message and the broader regulations surrounding safety car procedures in the closing stages of a race.