FIA blames software error for safety car confusion that shaped British GP finish

A software error in the FIA’s race control messaging system triggered the controversial finish to the 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the governing body has confirmed, after conflicting safety car signals in the closing laps denied drivers a final-lap restart.

With six laps remaining, Max Verstappen crashed his Red Bull into the gravel at Stowe, bringing out the safety car. Once the car was recovered, race control followed standard procedure and allowed lapped cars to unlap themselves on the penultimate lap. Under F1 regulations, one further lap must be completed after the unlapping procedure before the safety car can be called in — meaning the final lap was the earliest a restart could legally take place.

Race control’s messaging system then displayed “safety car in this lap” on the penultimate lap, signalling to teams that a one-lap shootout was imminent. Eight seconds later, however, the message updated to “safety car deployed”, and the safety car remained on track for the final lap, ending the race under caution.

The FIA moved swiftly to explain the sequence of events, stating: “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.”

The clarification confirmed that the correct regulation was applied throughout — the initial message was the mistake, not the decision to keep the safety car out.

The outcome handed Charles Leclerc victory for Ferrari without the final-lap fight that teams had briefly prepared for. Leclerc had pitted for fresh soft tyres in anticipation of a restart, a call that ultimately made no difference to the result. George Russell, who stayed out on older rubber, inherited second place for Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton also pitted for fresh tyres and dropped back.

Hamilton remains under investigation for a separate yellow flag infringement earlier in the race.

The episode inevitably drew comparisons to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the FIA’s misapplication of the safety car rules produced a one-lap restart that allowed Verstappen to overtake Hamilton and clinch the world championship — a controversy that led to significant regulatory and personnel changes within the governing body. Sunday’s confusion at Silverstone, while ultimately resolved in line with the rules, underlines how acutely sensitive the paddock remains to any ambiguity around late-race safety car procedures.