FIA changes Formula One's safety-car rules

LONDON • Formula One's governing body made a tweak to the safety car rules on Tuesday to avoid a repeat of the controversy that erupted after last year's title-deciding race in Abu Dhabi.

Race director Michael Masi, who was replaced last month, changed the procedure in the closing laps at Yas Marina in a move that allowed Red Bull's Max Verstappen to pass Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and win his maiden world championship.

Hamilton would otherwise have taken a record eighth title.

The governing FIA spelt out in a revised edition of the sporting regulations that "all" - rather than the more ambiguous "any" - lapped cars must unlap themselves before a restart.

The rule 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."

Masi had allowed the race to resume after only the lapped cars between Verstappen and Hamilton, then leading, had unlapped themselves.

That allowed enough time for one last lap of racing, with the Dutchman on fresh tyres and able to overtake his title rival.

Masi has since been replaced by two officials, Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who will share the race director job as part of a wider restructuring of the refereeing process.

They will be assisted by FIA stalwart Herbie Blash, who will return as permanent senior adviser, having retired in 2016 after 50 years in the sport. Blash was previously assistant to the late race director Charlie Whiting.

The trio will also be helped by a virtual race control team similar to football's video assistant referee, which will be housed in an additional FIA office outside the circuit and use real-time connections to the race directors to assist with decision-making.

The new season, a record 22-race campaign, starts in Bahrain this weekend.

REUTERS