F1 changes Safety Car rules to avoid Abu Dhabi unlapping repeat
Michael Masi’s decision to allow only some of the lapped drivers to unlap themselves before restarting the race set up a one-lap shoot-out and controversially altered the outcome of the world championship, leading to his removal as F1’s race director.
Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton to clinch his maiden world title on the final lap after only five of the eight lapped cars - the ones directly separating title rivals Hamilton and Verstappen - were allowed to rejoin the lead lap.
The events of the closing laps in Abu Dhabi sparked major controversy as well as a debate over the ambiguous use of the word ‘any’, with Red Bull arguing that ‘any’ does not mean ‘all’ during Mercedes’ initial post-race protest.
An updated version of F1’s 2022 sporting regulations - the fifth such amendment - was published on Tuesday that includes a tweak to the wording in Article 55.13.
The article now reads: “If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message “LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE” has been sent to all Competitors using the official messaging system, all cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car.”
Other changes include a tweak to the points system for races that are stopped between 50 and 75 percent distance to prevent a repeat of last year’s farcical Belgian Grand Prix.
Half points were given out despite only two laps being completed behind the Safety Car before the race was abandoned due to heavy rain.
10 points will now be awarded for finishing fourth instead of nine, while a driver in seventh will get four points rather than five. The full allocation is: 19-14-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1.
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