FIA responds to Verstappen's criticism: "That's why we chose the safety car"
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Max Verstappen was quite critical of the FIA's decision to let the safety out when Lando Norris dropped out and parked his car almost outside of the track. According to the Dutchman, a virtual safety car would have been sufficient, but the international motorsport federation disagrees.
Verstappen thinks the FIA just wanted to make the race more exciting again because of the large gaps that had been created. Michael Masi denies this. According to Racefans.net, the race leader gives two reasons why the safety car was used.
FIA counters Verstappen
"One was sure that Lando's car showed smoke and fire, so that was a motive," the Australian starts his story. "The other reason was that at first we weren't sure that the car could actually be pushed away through the opening that was there because it was narrow. Instead of having to react on the road, it was decided to go for a safety car. That way it could be tackled in one go, right away."
In the end, the safety car stayed out for a lot of laps and that was mainly because all overtaken drivers were allowed to catch up. At the head of the field, Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen complained that it was very difficult to keep temperature in their tyres behind the safety car, but Masi says he only followed the regulations.
Masi points out regulations
"There is a requirement in the sports regulations to pass all unloaded cars. Ten to eleven cars needed an extra lap. That's why the period of the safety car was a little longer than we normally expected," says Masi.