FIA reveals software error caused British GP restart confusion

The FIA confirmed a software error triggered the false restart alarm at the British Grand Prix, briefly displaying a "Safety Car in this lap" message that suggested green-flag racing was about to resume. Max Verstappen's late crash at Stowe brought out the Safety Car, but with the unlapping procedure only wrapping up in the final moments, the race finished behind the Safety Car as Charles Leclerc won ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

Why it matters:

Race control decisions remain a touchy subject in Formula 1 following the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where officials failed to apply Safety Car rules correctly. Teams rely on crystal-clear communication to make high-stakes calls—like the late pits for Leclerc and Hamilton under the Silverstone Safety Car—and automated errors can throw strategies into chaos while undermining confidence in the governing body.

The details:

• Article B5.13.5 requires one full lap after unlapping before the Safety Car can return to the pits.
• Lapped cars only passed the Safety Car late in the race, leaving no time to complete the mandatory lap and restart.
• The FIA said the "Safety Car In This Lap" message was a software glitch, not a manual call from race control.
• Strategy hinged on the signal: Leclerc and Hamilton pitted for fresh rubber expecting a restart, while Russell stayed out and jumped Hamilton for second.

Between the lines:

The FIA was quick to stress that, unlike Abu Dhabi 2021, every rule was followed correctly at Silverstone—even if the automated messaging didn't reflect that reality. Still, the incident reveals a weak spot in F1's race-control infrastructure: when software can broadcast false instructions to teams and fans without a human verification step, the sport risks creating the exact kind of confusion it has spent years trying to eliminate.