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The race ended under a Safety Car period which lasted for six laps as marshals recovered a single stopped car. The clearing of Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren took longer than expected as neutral gear could not be engaged on the car, meaning a crane had to be used to recover it.
However, several team principals have pointed out the procedure took longer than necessary as the Safety Car initially appeared in front of George Russell instead of race leader Max Verstappen and remained there for two laps.
Verstappen won the race as the Safety Car continued on track until its conclusion. Despite his driver Max Verstappen taking the victory, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he would rather have seen racing resume.
“I was disappointed,” he said. “It felt like the Safety Car picked up the wrong car and that then delayed things further for what looked like a reasonably trivial incident. The car wasn’t in the barrier or anything like that.“The principles of what we’ve always discussed is nobody wants to see a race finish under a Safety Car like that. And it felt that was enough time to get the race going again.
“Despite there being a risk, with it all being bunched back up, we would have preferred to win the race under racing conditions than obviously under a Safety Car. And you could hear the displeasure of the crowd at the end there, because it just felt everybody had been robbed of that finish.”
Prior to yesterday’s race FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem announced a summit will take place today to discuss how sporting matters in F1 are being handled and update teams on the performance of the new Remote Operations Centre it introduced in response to the Abu Dhabi debacle.
“There’s been a huge amount of change and there’s obviously lessons that are being learnt,” Horner acknowledged. “They’re sitting down tomorrow, all the team managers, the president is getting involved in that as well to talk about certain aspects and I’m sure this will be now near the top of the agenda.”
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mystic one (@mysticus)
12th September 2022, 12:20
“I was disappointed,”
Right. But not as disappointed as Abu Dhabi, and didn’t hear you bark at the RD to get the cars between max and Lec to be allowed so race can resume, or was he whispering and noone heard him?
jff
12th September 2022, 12:51
He is actually consistently asking for races to finish ‘under racing conditions’.
In Abu Dhabi it worked in their favour, yesterday it (could have) worked against them.
It seems those whispers are in your head :P
falken (@falken)
12th September 2022, 13:15
Team to race control messages are no longer broadcast post-Abu Dhabi
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
12th September 2022, 12:22
Hey, I agree with Horner on something!
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
12th September 2022, 13:01
+ 1. I know! It had to happen some day. There may have been a few things over the years to be honest.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th September 2022, 18:52
Agree, though this is not the first time I agree with horner, but I like that he wants to see a green flag finish even when it could potentially cost him.
Robert (@rob8k)
12th September 2022, 12:29
I was against it back in 2008 but I would like to see how closing the pit lane during a safety car would work now with refuelling not a part of the race.
petebaldwin (@)
12th September 2022, 13:02
@rob8k – It’s still far from ideal… If you’ve extended your stint and are about to pit when a SC comes out but the pitlane gets closed, it means you’re guaranteed to go to the back of the field. It’d mean no-one would want to run a long stint in case the SC came out and their race was ruined.
I don’t really know what a good solution to it is really… If you leave it as it is, it ruins the strategy as everyone pits. If you close the pitlane it destroys the races of people who haven’t pitted yet as the gaps all close up. If you let them pit but set a minimum pit stop time then you’ve got cars parked up with everything overheating…
It seems like the most fair way is to just leave it as it is – it’s a shame that it screws people’s strategies up but at least it’s interesting seeing who opts for track position and who pits for fresh tyres etc.
Bob2 (@bob2)
13th September 2022, 11:54
Well, really from a sporting (entertainment) perspective closing the pit lane for *the first lap* under safety car is the best option. It allows team to gamble on a safety car being called and come in (random based on track position) and also allows people to pit if they think it is worth losing a few positions they can make up with better tyres after it has been called (entertainment).
Additionally,if it causes team to rethink the generic pit strategies used to day it has to be a good thing.
Generally the only team that would be consistently disadvantaged at the current time is RedBull. Horner has stated he would prefer it to finish under green. Wonder what Toto thinks now verses the last 6 seasons ……
oweng (@oweng)
12th September 2022, 13:13
@rob8k There could be other factors leading to cars needing to put during a SC – debris or cars that have been involved in the incident in a minor way so need to change front wing for example.
But as VSC’s are usually deployed for more minor incidents, such as cars stopped on track, and are there to “neutralise the race” as we hear on commentary I’m not sure why the pit lane isn’t closed for those.
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
12th September 2022, 12:34
The fact is Safety Car rules are very arbitrary, often unfair and sometimes dangerous.
I say time for big changes.
We have all heard the phrase “Cautions breed Cautions”, or in European parlance “Safety Cars breed Safety Cars”. Do Safety Cars also create further dangerous situations? The irony is it seems to be they do. Perhaps we should ask Jack Doohan about his Zanvoort experience.
As we’ve seen, Safety and Virtual Safety Car periods can also be very unfair on the leader of a race, handing the initiative to the cars behind. No to mention very unsatisfactory race endings like Monza and Abu Dhabi.
I think the existing rules can be changed to remove the unnecessary danger and the unfairness. This is a work in progress so be gentle!
Changes:
(1) After qualifying, a time should be agreed that represents the difference in the total time lost for (a) pit stops under normal conditions and (b) Safety and Virtual Safety Care conditions (so perhaps about 10 seconds or so).
(2) Virtual Safety Cars should be used as they are now, but for cars making pit stops in this period, the time calculated for (1) should be added to their delta. Even if that means they have to let cars past on track to achieve it.
(3) Safety Cars should used as they are now, except before restarting they should transition to a VSC which spaces out the cars as they were before the Safety Car was deployed. Cars making a pitstop in a Safety Car period should have the total pit stop total (a) added to their delta.
The above will be much safer and fairer. It will remove any advantage of stopping under a Safety or Virtual Car and not disadvantage the leading cars. It will also remove the need to let lapped cars un-lap themselves. Also, dare I say it, it will remove the possibility for anyone to gain an advantage by deliberately manufacturing a Safety Car period.
(4) Add provisional laps to the race distance at the end of any Safety Car period, perhaps 1 for every Safety Car lap, but only use them if needed to avoid ending under a Safety Car
F1 is the pinnacle of Motorsport. It should not compromise safety and fairness for “The Show”.
Jere (@jerejj)
12th September 2022, 12:53
@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk Somewhat complicated & easier said than done, while the last suggestion would only work if in-race refuelling was allowed in such cases.
jff
12th September 2022, 13:04
We should keep it simple.
If it is believed that ‘free’ (or rather cheaper) pitstops should not be allowed, then simply reduce the pitlane speed to something lower (slower on track, slower in the pit).
Borrowing from others here I suggest to adjust the SC rules as follows:
– after 80% of the race distance any 2 SC laps will add one lap to the race distance (saved fuel should allow for that)
– if SC out for 6 lap then automatically it becomes a Red Flag (in pit at end of that lap)
– rolling restart after SC/Red Flag (i.e. SC leads cars out and in the same lap*)
– if teams change tyres or do work on the car during the Red Flag then they get an automatic/immediate drive through penalty.
* I would never allow cars to unlap themselves. Can’t see the need, and another unfair advantage for the chasing drivers (e.g. Verstappen in Abu Dhabi).
petebaldwin (@)
12th September 2022, 13:11
I quite like the idea but I’m not sure how it would work in practice… I can imagine it would be an absolute nightmare for a lap or two whilst they try and sort the order out. You’d have situations where the deltas put two cars less than a tenth apart and also situations where a car was just about to be overlapped when the SC is called – they’d have to lose almost an entire lap which means if they literally parked it on the track, it’d be at least 1 lap before the leader closed back up.
I love the idea of using a full SC but before the re-start, opening the gaps back up and including additional time for pit stops etc but it seems like it would add quite a lot of time to SC periods.
S
12th September 2022, 13:19
Nope. Competitors do.
Nope again. He jumped so everyone behind him did too, then they all slowed down. That was poor decisions by competitors too.
Nope for a third time. There is no concept of ‘fairness’ in this manner – everyone is equal until they cross the finish line and the only factor that matters at all is position. Time gaps mean nothing.
Apart from that – SC, VSC and Red Flags are not about fairness, they are about safety for everyone (competitors, marshals and everyone else around the facility).
1) and 2) No need. It’s a competition – strategy included. When to pit is one of few strategic elements competitors have available now. That factor should never be undermined.
3) Definitely not, IMO. Having the cars close and racing together is the best part of car racing.
4) I don’t think it’s necessary to change the length of the GP. Just make sure as much of the distance is covered under green as possible – even if that potentially means stopping the race temporarily (for a safety issue, such as Ricciardo’s retirement).
Add to that the SC should be going a lot slower. Professional racing drivers can handle cold tyres, and the cars can certainly handle idling for several minutes (as proven many times).
F1 is all show.
It’s never been ‘fair’ to everyone in some respects and never will be. Neither is anything else – life included.
As long as the same rules apply to everyone at all times, that’s as fair as F1 can possibly be.
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
12th September 2022, 14:19
Haha .. YOU again. I spit out my tea with laughter at your response!
You have just taken the opposite viewpoint deliberately without actually trying to understand what I’m trying (probably badly) to say.
It is a FACT there are more accidents after Safety Car restarts than VSC restarts. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. You cant just say its the drivers fault. Its a more dangerous scenario. It like saying guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Either way there are dead people.
That’s an assertion not an argument. I would argue the opposite. Here’s my thinking. If driver A expends a massive amount of effort an skill to gain a 10 second advantage over driver B they shouldn’t keep it unless through fault of their own or by the effort of driver B. Why should it be taken away from them because of another drivers accident or misfortune? On top of that they could easily lose track position or driver B could gain time and a large tyre advantage. This is by definition the unfairness of which you claim there is
. Unbelievable.
Also I guessed someone would mention strategy as if its some inalienable element of F1. Lets be clear it is not. Tyre strategy only exists because the the current ruleset (which could be changed) and the fact its quicker to use more than one set. Safety Car strategy only exists because of the current Safety Car rules, which I believe are a bit of a blunt instrument and should be refined. My suggested changes will benefit the better drivers and faster cars. Also negate the effects of Safety Cars on the results of the race. The current rules provide too much luck and unfairness.
As for your comment that F1 has never been fair and nor is life, this completely misses the point. Of course you are right in a broad sense, but that’s no reason to give up trying to make things better. It sound like you have given up.
I’ve got news for you Mr Luddite, everything changes!
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
12th September 2022, 14:21
correction “they shouldt keep it unless through fault of their own
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
12th September 2022, 14:22
haha Correction of the correction “they SHOULD keep it”
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
12th September 2022, 14:23
Oh and S, you can have the last word. I don’t have the strength to argue with you.
S
12th September 2022, 15:27
Thank you ;)
Because that’s what happens in sport, and in life. It’s not being ‘taken away from them’ in spite, but entirely indiscriminately.
Yeah. Strategy is fun, isn’t it? :) You’ve got to be on the ball to win.
Only if you consider mishandling a strategic opportunity as being unfair. Luck and circumstance are often ‘unfair’ too…
Well, it is a factor, you can’t deny. A pretty important and desirable one at that.
Good.
Everything about F1 can be refined – but often isn’t. Not improved, anyway.
Who already have such advantages. What sort of competition is that – and more to the point, what sort of on-track product does that lead to?
I don’t want that, obviously.
I like the effects – or the ‘opportunities’ as I prefer to think of them.
If I’d given up, I wouldn’t still watch F1.
I live in hope that F1 can fulfil it’s potential to be interesting, exciting and unpredictable on every occasion – and do my best to share that feeling amongst such long-term F1 viewers as yourself. :)
Luddite? Me?
I think you’ve forgotten just about everything I’ve ever posted here. I’m constantly arguing for change in F1.
I’m even doing in this comments section.
Change away from all the things that hold F1 back…
I was going to anyway ;)
Pity… I was just starting to have fun.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
12th September 2022, 14:40
@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk This seems pretty fair and would just need a few tweaks for circumstances where drivers’ deltas end up putting them on the same place on the track for the restart. One negative is it will take a bit more time to sort out the positions on track after the safety car has been called in (though probably less than a lap). The main reason this will never happen though is that it nullifies the entertainment factor that safety cars have inherently brought to motorsport. They bunch the cars up, potentially throw a spanner in the strategy works, mix up the field and the tyre compounds, all of which creates a lot of action in the race.
The majority of races in F1 are quite predictable and settled by about 1/3 to 1/2 race distance, especially with the reliability and lack of driver errors in the modern era, so often the safety car wildcard is the only thing that provides any realistic expectation of spicing up the race. Whether you think that matters or not is down to personal preference, depending on if you favour fairness and purity of the sport or the entertainment factor, but the current owners of F1 will definitely be leaning towards the latter which is why I’m sure they won’t consider something like this even though it seems like a good system.
Biskit Boy (@sean-p-newmanlive-co-uk)
12th September 2022, 15:00
You’d think the top teams would be in favour of protecting those precious few tenths gained at enormous cost, but yes I fear you are right and nothing like this will happen for fear of losing some entertainment. Personally I find seeing a driver’s hard fought win snatched from them by a silly rule the antithesis of entertainment.
AlanD
12th September 2022, 17:46
Good collection of ideas Biskit Boy and I like the overall approach. I think simpler than trying to adjust lap deltas by, say, 12 seconds is to say that any cars pitting under VSC have to wait for 12 seconds before the mechanics can touch the car, i.e. the same way as a time penalty is applied except they shouldn’t call it a penalty, because it isn’t penalising someone, just a fairness adjustment. That would make it harder for cars to double stack though.
I also think there is merit in closing the pit lane immediately at the start of a SC period, but do accept this could cause issues for someone with damage, or someone with bald tyres who was just about to pit. Technology could easily overcome this. It would be easy for the pit wall to have a button which quietly signals to race control that “our driver will definitely be in on the next lap”. If a team has already signalled its intent to stop and an SC comes out, then it should be allowed to pit that lap anyway, but maybe with the 10 second hold first. Cars which hadn’t intended to stop, but now need to because of punctures from the debris should also be allowed to stop under the same conditions, for a tyre change only, although they should provide the FIA with data to show they genuinely had a puncture. And cars which have suffered other damage on that lap such as a broken nose should be allowed to stop, but with a minimum stop time of, say, 30 seconds. Obviously, to stop the pit wall pressing the button on every lap, just in case, you’d have to have a rule that they incur a ten second penalty every time they press it but don’t pit.
I think they could also look at reducing the pit lane speed limit during a SC/VSC to neutralise some of the unfairness of pitting under SC. I think this is especially true at circuits like Canada where the pit lane is much shorter than the track. Didn’t they change the rules already because of Canada, to stop cars taking short cuts through the pit lane when the safety car was out?
Jacob
12th September 2022, 12:54
I’m wondering how team principals such as Toto Wolff come to the conclusion that the rules were followed correctly this time. After Abu Dhabi, they found it necessary to clarifiy it in the sporting regulations that “lapped cars may now overtake” during a safety car phase pertains to ALL lapped cars, period:
“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.” (Art. 55.13, https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/formula_1_-_sporting_regulations_-_2022_-_iss_6_-_2022-04-29.pdf)
How was this followed when clearly, Bottas, Tsunoda and Latifi were lapped at the time, and they remained in between the top three cars behind the safety car until the end of the race?
Observing this, they may still have run out of time to restart the race, or the clerk of the course could still have deemed the presence of the safety car necessary. But as I see it, they repeated one of the errors that occurred at Abu Dhabi in terms of not getting all lapped cars out of the way before a restart would even have been possible.
In that respect, I found even the FIA’s official explanation lacking. Yes, somehow they ran out of time while trying to clear a stricken car from the track that would have been stuck in gear. What’s relevant though is what the sporting regulations say:
“Unless the clerk of the course considers the presence of the safety car is still necessary,
once the message “LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE” has been sent to all
Competitors using the official messaging system, the safety car will return to the pits at
the end of the following lap.”
So what they should have explained is: When was the message “lapped cars may now overtake” given to the teams? Why would some of the teams or drivers not have been able to follow that? For what we’ve seen to be correct in terms of the regulations, a) the race director would have considered the presence of the safety car still necessary, or b) the message would only have been sent during the penultimate lap, so that – then correctly – the safety car returned to the pits at the end of the following lap – which was the last one.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
13th September 2022, 23:11
The race was never restarted so the fact the lapped cars weren’t moved out of the way is irrelevant.
Jacob
14th September 2022, 0:07
I don’t think it’s irrelevant, it was irregular, as I outlined above. Two mistakes had been made during the Abu Dhabi race, first of all that the unlapping procedure was not executed as the rules stated, second of all that the race was then restarted. The former mistake was, in my opinion, repeated at Monza, the latter was not.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
12th September 2022, 13:12
I do wonder why it is that cars are allowed at all to change their tyres under either types of safety car. Unless there is damage of course or a puncture. Only they would have kept going if there had not been a safety car and driving around more slowly will put less pressure on the life of the tyres they have on anyway. Would not this simple change make things a bit more fair?
I do not always think it’s right that the leader just has their sometimes huge lead just wiped out but this might be unavoidable. But then add to this, that the following cars may have fresh tyres makes it doubly unfair really.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th September 2022, 19:08
What stops people from claiming they have a puncture to get an advantage if you enforce that?
falken (@falken)
12th September 2022, 13:17
If there is a SC on track in last 10 laps, red flag it. Simple rule.
Robin Kamiya
12th September 2022, 13:44
One significant thing that bugs me about the safety car being out on track for ever and day during an incident is only when the incident is cleared up does the pack reshuffle start, where lapped cars are allowed to unlap themselves. Two points here. 1) After the reshuffle, the pack has to carry on at another typically two laps of safety car pace to generate a gap between the front runners and the (let though) lapped runners before racing is allowed to restart. What is wrong with the lapped cars in amongst the front runners moving aside and the front runners pass the lapped vehicles, its bound to take less time to resolve the order correctness and let racing get back underway. Afterall Lapped cars are slower, and have been lapped. Why should they be allowed back in? 2) An incident and the clear up only takes place on a specific section of the track, the rest of the track is clear, the pack reshuffle can take place on the remainder of the clear track while the incident is being cleared up, the cars hold position when passing the incident zone.
It would allow a restart so much sooner than the pantomime trudging around that takes place today. They’re all grown ups, and as MB states the accelerator works both ways to allow cars to speed up and slow down for the pack reshuffle.
David BR (@david-br)
12th September 2022, 16:09
Completely left-field idea: couldn’t they develop some kind of inflatable/expanding foam protective bubble to temporarily attach over a stationary car and absorb any (very unlikely) impact, clearing the car after the race? Wouldn’t serve every case but probably most. Personally I think yellow flags would do in most of these cars when drivers park up in places that are extremely unlikely to get hit by another car, but FIA clearly doesn’t want even the smallest of risks (although it’s happy to have some dangerous tracks on its calendar like Monaco and Jeddah).
AlanD
12th September 2022, 17:57
Love the idea of a sponge bubble though perhaps not as left field as you might imagine. In MotoGP they rush out with men holding giant foam pillows to protect a downed rider.
I do think there is too much emphasis on safety cars and not enough on circuit solutions. When Bottas was broken down and I was watching them trying to push the car backwards, I wondered why they don’t mandate an attachment point on the front and rear of each car so that someone could run out and hook a steel cable on it, and then a powered winch could drag the thing backwards into the fencing gap. It would be a lot quicker than waiting for a breakdown truck to get there. They have to spend so much on hospitality lounges to meet F1 standards, the extra cost of installing electric winches at the escape gaps isn’t going to break the bank.
AlanD
12th September 2022, 18:12
IF THE ADMINS ARE READING THIS:……… Putting the “Report Comment” right next to the “Reply” button, and using the same style etc, is asking for trouble when you have people as ham-fisted as me trying to use a mousepad.
MichaelN
12th September 2022, 17:06
There is no real good reason for the safety car to exist in its current form.
If the objective is to simply slow the drivers, use a VSC. Increase the laptime target to lower the speeds if needed. This can be coupled with a variable pitlane speed that switches between race and VSC conditions to cancel the current huge advantage of pitting under VSC.
If the objective is to give the marshalls uninterrupted time to clear the track, just park the cars in the pit-lane where they can have sufficient cooling. Then once the track is clear, release them one at a time like in countless other sports that use aggregate times between events, thereby reinstating the original gaps.
Unfortunately, F1 doesn’t see the safety car as a mere safety feature, but also as a ‘let’s spice up this show’ feature. The unconcealed glee with which the commentators at F1TV speculate about the safety car being deployed speaks volumes.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th September 2022, 19:10
Yes, I think it’s indeed used to spice things up, very often the VSC is disappointing in terms of creating fights.
PeterG
12th September 2022, 17:59
Theres no need to change anything.
A race ends under sc then thats just the way it goes sometimes and everyone just needs to except this.
Using the ted flag for entertainment purposes just because its late in the race is as artificial and gimmicky as that ridiculous nascar green white chequered nonsense.
It’s so disheartening to see what f1 is been yurned i to by people who don’t understand sport because they don’t care about the sport and have no passion for it. They just see it as a show and want constant action no matter how artificial, fake and gimmikey it may be.
F1 as a sport is obviously dead under current leadership with the netflix fans been the only ones they listen to because America.
S
13th September 2022, 8:45
Common misconception.
People running F1 currently do ‘understand F1,’ do ‘care about the sport’ and do ‘have passion’ for it.
But they are business people, treating it like a business – because that’s exactly what it is.
Action and excitement sells. Processions and practice sessions do not.
Bah humbug.
I do wonder if some people’s concept of ‘sport’ is perhaps a bit off…
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
12th September 2022, 19:05
The thing is, how the race direction would’ve reacted if Ricciardo stopped the car with 20 laps to go? because they did 6 laps under safety car. That’s a long time…
If the car was difficult to recover, and the race needs to be ran under safety car conditions for so long, then just red flag it, fix the problem, and carry on. It doesn’t have to be something serious like a damaged barrier.
I bet there’s a procedure in place for this kind of thing. Direction tells marshalls they’ll neutralize the race so they can jump to the track. Marshalls try to move it. They report back saying they need the crane that’s sitting waaay out there and needs to cross the track. Direction asks marshalls how long they reckon it’d take. Marshalls give estimate. Direction decides: red flag the race because it’d take too long, or just leave the SC out because it’s quick and easy.
AlanD
13th September 2022, 3:01
I think I’d much rather see red flags than long periods of safety car, though I’d prefer to see cars go into a sort of “parc ferme conditions” and a safety car restart rather than effectively running a new shorter race. However, I think one reason they prefer to keep safety cars running behind the safety car clocking up laps is because they want the race to finish according to the TV schedules which is obviously far more important than sporting values, (yes, I am being sarcastic).
grat
13th September 2022, 1:27
Either reinstate refueling, or get used to the idea that safety cars are a random element of force majeure, and it can’t always go your way, Horner.
But close the pit lanes during all safety car events, virtual or otherwise.
Tricky (@tricky)
13th September 2022, 7:33
Honestly I don’t see any reason to change. The rules for using the safety car are clear to everyone, and they were followed in this instance. Its a pity when a race finishes under the safety car, but we should be like adults and not expect everything to be a contrived finale.
S
13th September 2022, 8:46
No-one wants a contrived finale, they want a race.
Moshambles (@moshambles)
13th September 2022, 7:43
If you want to change the safety car rules then change the safety car rules but don’t expected them to change or break on a whim when a situation presents itself
Wayne
13th September 2022, 8:33
@biskit boy u hit gold with ur suggestion. I like it. Drivers should not gain time when pitting during a safety or virtual period. The pit lane time should be made mandatory and a delta given. Outcomes of race’s should not be determined when the racing has been suspended. As it is its very unfair.
Andre
13th September 2022, 12:58
Couldn’t they just extend the race ?
Cars would just have to fuel for more laps
Or they could extend the race with half the laps under SC and VC rounded up, so for Monza 3 laps for SC, can’t remember the VC period but let’s just say 1 lap.
That means we would have had 4 laps of racing in the end.