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[sidepodcast]

could someone just confirm for me (cause the fia regs seem a bit hazy on this).

in a safety car situation, when a backmarker passes the lead cars / safety car, and does a complete circuit to catch the tail of the pack...does that count as a racing lap?

e.g. is that driver back on the lead lap, or just out of the bleedin' way?

[madbrad]

It's just that the safety car came onto the track in front of it. Any cars ahead of the leader pass the SC and will soon catch up to the back of the field since the speed is slow and there's no passing. All the backmarker is doing is reducing the gap ahead of him. That's what a SC does, bunch up the pack. The backmarker doesn't gain a lap. If he was not lapped at all when the SC came out, what lap would there be to regain? Whatever number of laps he was lapped by remains the number of laps he's lapped by. He may have been close to being lapped again but now it will take longer.
What you mention is the lapped car passing a leader during the SC. I have not heard of that happening. no one should be given a lap by virtue of the SC being out. That is unless the stewards decide the race positions are to be restored to what they were at some past point, and I don't know if they ever do that.

[sidepodcast]

What you mention is the lapped car passing a leader during the SC. I have not heard of that happening. no one should be given a lap by virtue of the SC being out. That is unless the stewards decide the race positions are to be restored to what they were at some past point, and I don't know if they ever do that.

ahh, should have said. there's a new sporting reg this year:

--

40.12

When the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message "LAPPED CARS MAY NOW
OVERTAKE" is shown on the timing monitors, any lapped cars which were between the cars running on
the lead lap at the time the safety car was deployed (and also remain in that position) will be required to
pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car. They must then proceed around the track at an
appropriate speed, without overtaking, and take up position at the back of the line of cars behind the safety
car.

--

so, when this happens, do they regain a lap?

[madbrad]

OH OK. I do now remember seeing something like that but it looked like chinese to me. So now let me work it out; to keep the competition lively between the 1st and 2nd, or 2nd and 3rd guy, they take that loser out from between them so that when the SC pits, they have a clear shot again, and the guy in fron must lap that loser again. I think that gives an advantage to the guy behind. That is a bit like rewinding the race a bit. I have a concern: What's to stop the stewards from abusing this reg to give Ferrari an advantage? Or do they not do that anymore without Herr Butthead on the team? Oh wait he's still there just not driving.

[gorilla]

IMO it is like the NASCAR rules and its rubbish it allows the slower drivers a chance to catch up, but they won't be able to as atb the restart they will be lapped within a couple of laps

[aboldero]

this rule is stupid in several ways... it gives an advantage to a driver who has not overtaken a backmarker while the car in front has. however, More Importantly, its a very dangerous thing to do...

the whole point of the safety car, is to slow the cars due to marshals, and medical personnel either on the track or in a dangerous position, but once these cars have passed the safety car, they are allowed to proceed at racing speed, back to rejoin the field, what happens when one of them runs someone over???

[madbrad]

Correct me if I'm wrong but they aren't allowed to scoot around to catch up to the back at racing speed. An SC constitutes a full course yellow. That does not mean merely don't pass, it also means lift the throttle. You even have to lift for a local yellow that appears during your hot Q lap. There's probably no written speed limit but if they see you lapping the same time as your Q lap for example I think you'll be called in to explain yourself.

[aboldero]

ok, granted, "racing speed" is a slight exageration, but they are not crawlng round, as the pitlane will not open till all cars are "in line, in race formation" so they cant go that slow, and plenty of accidents happen when cars are expected to slow the pace..

however, one more interseting point, towards the end of a race, cars con be two or more laps down, does this mean they have to overtake to field several times, because until the cars are all on the same lap they will never be in race formation. otherwise, for instance sato and davidson are 3 seconds apart, and hamilton passes davidson for second time, they all unlap themselves once, then davidson ends up a full lap down on sato, rather than just a few seconds... not fair, surely

[madbrad]

no they just get out from between the real racers and go to the back.

[Ferrarifan]

Yes the new rule allow to get lap back. Hamilton recently used that rule at the rain soaked grand prix of europe. When let around he then stupidly through his free lap away and came in too early to get dry tires.