Drivers will be able to make pit stops during a Safety Car!

The FIA has confirmed a change in the regulations regarding the safety car for the 2009 season following the success of new software tests in 2008.

The F1 teams and drivers worked hard in 2008 to try to find a solution to avoid closing the pitlane during the first minutes of the safety car intervention.

It was agreed that such a change in the regulations could only be implemented if there was an effective way to prevent drivers from rushing into the pits. Otherwise, this reaction could have led to high-speed driving and possibly an accident in the entry zone.

The tests were conducted during several races last year with revised standard ECU software. It informed the drivers during a safety car period of a maximum speed not to exceed when heading to the pits.

The favorable outcome of these tests has allowed the FIA’s approval to use this system during races this year.

Charlie Whiting, FIA race director, confirmed that from now on, the pits will remain open even during safety car periods.

« The rule introduced in 2007 was bad. Compared to the 2006 regulations, the only difference is that we intend to set a minimum time for pit stops, » Whiting stated.

« When a safety car is deployed, the message will be transmitted to all the single-seaters. As soon as this message appears, the software will be able to indicate where the problem is on the circuit. It will then calculate a time and thus a speed to allow the drivers to return to the pits if they wish. They must adhere to the information displayed on the dashboard. »

« If you remember, the reason we closed the pits was to remove the incentive for the driver to return to the pits quickly. »

This change in regulations occurred thanks to or because (!) of a number of penalties imposed on drivers in 2008 who needed to stop because they no longer had enough fuel in the car.