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40) SAFETY CAR

40.1 The FIA safety car will be driven by an experienced circuit driver. It will carry an FIA observer capable of recognising all the competing cars, who is in permanent radio contact with race control.

40.2 30 minutes before the start of the formation lap the safety car will take up position at the front of the grid and remain there until the five minute signal is given. At this point (except under 40.16 below) it will cover a whole lap of the circuit and enter the pit lane.

40.3 The safety car may be brought into operation to neutralise a race upon the order of the clerk of the course. It will be used only if competitors or officials are in immediate physical danger but the circumstances are not such as to necessitate suspending the race.

40.4 When the order is given to deploy the safety car the message "SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED" will be displayed on the timing monitors and all marshal's posts will display waved yellow flags and "SC" boards for the duration of the intervention.

40.5 The safety car will start from the pit lane with its orange lights illuminated and will join the track regardless of where the race leader is.

40.6 From the time at which the "SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED" message is displayed no car may enter the pit lane for the purpose of refuelling until all cars on the track have formed up in a line behind the safety car and the message "PIT LANE OPEN" is shown on the timing monitors. A ten second time penalty (see Article 16.3b) will be imposed on any driver who enters the pit lane and whose car is refuelled before the second message is shown on the timing monitors. However, any car which was in the pit entry or pit lane when the safety car was deployed will not incur a penalty. If it is deemed necessary for the safety car to use the pit lane (see 40.11 below) cars following it will not incur a penalty but may not stop in their designated garage areas for the purpose of refuelling until the message "PIT LANE OPEN" is shown on the timing monitors. A ten second time penalty will be imposed on any driver who stops in his designated garage area and whose car is refuelled before the second message is shown on the timing monitors.

40.7 Any car being driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or which is deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers at any time whilst the safety car is deployed will be reported to the stewards. This will apply whether any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pit lane.

40.8 All competing cars must then form up in line behind the safety car no more than 5 car lengths apart and overtaking, with the following exceptions, is forbidden until the cars reach the Line after the safety car has returned to the pits. Overtaking will be permitted under the following circumstances :

- if a car is signalled to do so from the safety car ;

- under 40.16 below ;

- any car entering the pits may pass another car or the safety car remaining on the track after it has crossed the first safety car line ;

- any car leaving the pits may be overtaken by another car on the track before it crosses the second safety car line ;

- when the safety car is returning to the pits it may be overtaken by cars on the track once it has crossed the first safety car line ;

- any car stopping in its designated garage area whilst the safety car is using the pit lane (see 40.11 below) may be overtaken ;

- if any car slows with an obvious problem.

40.9 When ordered to do so by the clerk of the course the observer in the car will use a green light to signal to any cars between it and the race leader that they should pass. These cars will continue at reduced speed and without overtaking until they reach the line of cars behind the safety car.

40.10 The safety car shall be used at least until the leader is behind it and all remaining cars are lined up behind him. Once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within 5 car lengths of it (except under 40.13 below) and all remaining cars must keep the formation as tight as possible.

40.11 Subject to the requirements of 40.6 above, whilst the safety car is in operation, competing cars may enter the pit lane, but may only rejoin the track when the green light at the end of the pit lane is on. It will be on at all times except when the safety car and the line of cars following it are about to pass or are passing the pit exit . A car rejoining the track must proceed at an appropriate speed until it reaches the end of the line of cars behind the safety car.

Under certain circumstances the clerk of the course may ask the safety car to use the pit lane. In these cases, and provided it’s orange lights remain illuminated, all cars must follow it into the pit lane without overtaking. Subject to the requirements of 40.6 above, any car entering the pit lane under these circumstances may stop at its designated garage area.

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.

40.13 When the clerk of the course calls in the safety car, it must extinguish its orange lights, this will be the signal to the drivers that it will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.

At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary, fall more than five car lengths behind it. As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the yellow flags and SC boards will be withdrawn and replaced by waved green flags with green lights at the Line. These will be displayed until the last car crosses the Line.

40.14 Each lap completed while the safety car is deployed will be counted as a race lap.

40.15 If the race ends whilst the safety car is deployed it will enter the pit lane at the end of the last lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking.

40.16 In exceptional circumstances the race may be started behind the safety car. In this case, at any time before the one minute signal its orange lights will be turned on. This is the signal to the drivers that the race will be started behind the safety car. When the green lights are illuminated the safety car will leave the grid with all cars following in grid order no more than 5 car lengths apart. There will be no formation lap and race will start when the green lights are illuminated.

Overtaking, during the first lap only, is permitted if a car is delayed when leaving its grid position and cars behind cannot avoid passing it without unduly delaying the remainder of the field. In this case, drivers may only overtake to re-establish the original starting order.

Any driver who is delayed leaving the grid may not overtake another moving car if he was stationary after the remainder of the cars had crossed the Line, and must form up at the back of the line of cars behind the safety car. If more than one driver is affected, they must form up at the back of the field in the order they left the grid.

Either of the penalties under Articles 16.3a) or b) will be imposed on any driver who, in the opinion of the Stewards, unnecessarily overtook another car during the first lap.

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Pois é. Este é o regulamento desportivo da FIA no que diz respeito às regulamentações de período de Safety Car - com trechos ressaltados em rosa mesmo. Duvido que você tenha lido tudo, então vamos direto ao que interessa. Lewis Hamilton será julgado amanhã pelo item número 40.10 (mas poderia ser também pelo item 40.7). Ele diz que o líder deve ficar no máximo a cinco carros de distância do SC (e não no mínimo a cinco carros, como li em alguns fóruns de discussão).

Certamente, Lewis Hamilton e nenhum dos outros 21 pilotos do grid sabem de cor e salteado todas as nuances e complicações deste regulamento. Ao fim e ao cabo, criticamos Felipe Massa por ter voltado à sua posição original depois de ter rodado atrás do SC (não cumprindo o que diz o item 40.8), mostrando assim não saber o que diz a regra e recebendo uma punição por isso. Pois o inglês da McLaren também não conhece. No que ele diminuiu naquele momento, o Safety Car foi embora e ele ficou a mais de cinco carros de distância do dito cujo. Portanto, não cumpriu a regra. Me parece óbvio que ele receberá algum tipo de punição amanhã, resta saber qual a extensão dela.

Também é óbvio observar como o regulamento da Fórmula 1 virou um emaranhado de dispositivos cuja única conseqüência é complicar demais o andamento das corridas e gerar situações absurdas como estas – em que o vencedor de uma corrida deve sofrer uma punição relativa à ela seis dias depois da chegada, porque o senhor Fulanashi Ditawaka filmou uma cena na arquibancada e colocou na Internet. Para nós, é muito fácil criticar os pilotos quando eles cometem um erro destes, mas a verdade é que não há ninguém que saiba todos os meandros da regra de memória. Precisava mesmo ser tão complicado?

E assim caminha este triste Mundial de 2007...