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Pierre Gasly has revealed that Formula 1 drivers will discuss the safety car finish at the British Grand Prix with the FIA. The talks are scheduled for Thursday evening ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Gasly sarcastically applauded from his cockpit as he crossed the finish line at Silverstone, visibly frustrated by the race's controversial conclusion. The Alpine driver, who finished tenth, was among several competitors annoyed by the anticlimactic ending after a late incident involving Max Verstappen brought out the safety car, which remained on track until the end.
After the race, the FIA explained that the message "Safety Car in this lap" was displayed erroneously due to a software glitch, briefly raising hopes for a restart before it was corrected. According to Article B5.13.5 of the safety car regulations, a full lap must be completed after the procedure for lapped cars to unlap themselves. As this coincided with the final lap of the scheduled 52, there was no legal opportunity to resume the race before the chequered flag.
Charles Leclerc secured the victory for Ferrari ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, but the manner in which the race concluded drew boos from the fans in the grandstands and sharp criticism from the paddock.
Asked if the situation could have been handled better, Gasly told select media: "I'm a racer, and obviously, I think as much as possible, it's never good for anyone, on track or off track, for a race to finish behind a safety car. So, yeah, I was a bit disappointed with the situation. At that moment, I didn't have all the information. I later understood why things happened that way. But I think we all agree that in the future, ideally, we shouldn't have a situation where the race effectively ends behind a safety car like that. I don't think it looks good for us or for you [the media]."
Gasly confirmed the issue will be raised directly with officials at the next drivers' meeting, with the Frenchman eager to find a practical solution to prevent a recurrence. The meeting will take place today, at the end of the media day, before the race weekend at Spa. Gasly believes both the drivers and the FIA will want to find a solution to avoid future finishes like the one at Silverstone.
Discussing whether he has any ideas to offer to avoid a safety car finish, Gasly explained: "Yeah, I'm sure we'll discuss it with the drivers at the meeting tonight. We'll try to find a way for these decisions to be made faster or just give the race director a more effective way to restart the race, just to avoid this situation. I'm sure they're not happy about it either, and from my side, as a racer, if you ask me, 'Do you want to race one more lap and get a chance to gain a few positions?', I'll always be happy to do it. That's how I see racing."
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