David Coulthard calls on the FIA to accelerate their safety car decision-making process.
Former Formula 1 racer David Coulthard has suggested that the FIA needs to enhance its decision-making speed when it comes to neutralizing F1 races, noting there's noticeable "room for improvement" following the Spanish Grand Prix.
McLaren's Lando Norris missed out on what seemed to be a certain victory at the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit after Aston Martin's Lance Stroll halted on the track due to a brake failure. When the virtual safety car was activated, race leader Norris had already crossed the pit entry line, allowing Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli to make a cost-effective pit stop and ultimately secure his eighth win of the 2026 season.
"One thing I would question again is the duration it takes between an incident and the deployment of either a virtual, safety, or red flag. I think that could be streamlined," Coulthard remarked during the Up To Speed podcast.
Former F1 TV host Will Buxton, who co-hosted the podcast episode with Coulthard, later explained: "So because Lando has come out and stated, 'VSCs and safety cars, and everything in Formula 1, shouldn't dictate a race. It's F1. The race should be decided by the best performance and effective strategy.' And I understand that viewpoint.
"However, regarding safety cars, virtual safety cars, whether you close the pits or not, when a virtual safety car is deployed or not, and when a full safety car is activated or not, it’s all a matter of chance. You will find yourself on one side or the other. You will either benefit from a favorable situation or end up in a predicament that ruins your day. There’s no real middle ground. It’s one or the other.
"So, regardless of what you implement, since safety cars are a constant in the sport and there will always be a moment when a race needs to be neutralized for safety reasons. It doesn’t occur in every race and not all the time, but when it does happen, one person will be at a disadvantage, and another will emerge in a favorable position. It’s simply a matter of luck.
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
"How do you regulate a situation that is, by its very nature, fundamentally unfair? You can't make that equitable."
When asked if he believed there was a resolution to the problem, Coulthard responded: "There's room for improvement, and we discussed it right from the start. The time taken between an incident and a decision.
"Some of these are quite straightforward, like at Monza. There was a delay before the red flag was issued when it was evident that we had a serious accident at Parabolica. That should be as swift as a yellow flag being shown; the red flag should be presented immediately. So there’s certainly room for improvement."
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