He Safety Car It is a key element in formula 1 that is used to Control the speed of monoplays in danger situationsas adverse climatic accidents or conditions. When Safety Car enters track, pilots must reduce their speed and cannot advance, which causes the race to temporarily neutralize. This measure guarantees the safety of pilots, commissioners and others involved in the event.
In this article, we will explore when Safety Car is used, how it affects career strategies and what differences exist with the Virtual Safety Car.
What is Safety Car
One of the methods that the FIA To try to guarantee the safety of the pilots when something has happened on the track, such as an accident with a car stopped on the asphalt, with pieces distributed by the layout or some liquid scattered. In adverse weather cases, it can also be ordered, by the commissioner of the race, to take out this car that comes out when there is yellow flag, since if it were red, cars would have to return to boxes immediately.
He Safety Caror Spanish security car, it is a vehicle that goes to the track sometimes after the yellow flag is shown. When this Aston Martin either Mercedes Enter the circuit all the cars will be grouped behind it, but cannot be advanced between them. Its presence makes a new career start when you leave, since the pilots return to star in a kind of exit since the distances between them disappeared.
When the security car The pilots are warned by radio. During the time in which the problem that has forced the security car goes after him and a lap before leaving the circuit, he turns off the lights. Once it leaves, when the goal line is passed through the race and the race could be advanced again, although the DRS It could not be used immediately.
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What is the virtual Safety Car
Sometimes the yellow flag is shown and it is pointed out that there is a virtual Safety Car. In this case, no physical safety car goes to the layout, but it would be a measure for the pilots to reduce the speed and have to roll all at the same rate, so they would neither get together and maintain the distance, nor, obviously, there would be overtaking.
This system It began to be used in 2015 and its use would be more intended for mild accidents in which cleaning the track becomes a simpler and more fast task than when the Safety Car physical. For example, it usually does when there is little material on the asphalt and when you do not have to remove any car that has stopped in the middle of the track.
Differences between both systems
As your name suggests, the main difference between the two It is that the Safety Car needs a physical car to enter the track, while the virtual Safety Car allows the race to slow down and without having to take out any additional vehicle to the circuit.
From this key difference, others arise that make both procedures completely different:
When the Virtual Safety Carthe pilots continue on the track without competing with each other, reducing the speed similar to when there is a Safety Car. The difference is that, instead of regrouping cars, they maintain the distances that already had with each other. For this, they must follow a delta time, which is shown in its flyers, indicating whether they are above or below that reference time. This margin allows them to manage their advantage or disadvantage, which can be crucial when the race resumes.
