What is a Virtual Safety Car in F1?

Safety in F1 has been a paramount concern for the past two decades, with a strong focus on preventing crashes and fatalities. The FIA, as the sport's governing body, has implemented substantial advancements to enhance safety standards for both race tracks and vehicles.

The introduction of tech-pro barriers on circuits and the halo on cars has revolutionized safety, significantly reducing fatalities and the severity of crashes. To address less severe incidents, such as excessive track debris or stranded vehicles, race stewards often employ the Virtual Safety Car.

A Virtual Safety Car period ensures that the drivers reduce their speed on the track by 30 percent and adhere to a delta time determined by their teams. Overtaking is prohibited during a VSC, and drivers must maintain consistent gaps between their cars.

All drivers have to follow the VSC rules, and penalties are issued by the FIA for non-compliance in any sector. The VSC was first introduced during the iconic 2014 Japanese GP where Jules Bianchi's fatal accident underscored the need for slower speeds in hazardous conditions.

---

Lando Norris blames Sergio Perez for losing advantage during the F1 Japanese GP

McLaren driver Lando Norris revealed that he lost crucial time to race leader Max Verstappen during the Virtual Safety Car period at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix. Already five seconds behind the triple world champion, Norris lost an additional five seconds after encountering a slow-moving Sergio Perez through the challenging Spoon curve complex.

Owing to the VSC regulations, Norris was unable to overtake the Mexican's RB19. Speaking with Autosport, Norris expressed his frustrations by saying,

“I don't know what… he must have had a problem, right? But the thing is you can't overtake under the VSC unless it’s obvious the guy has a problem. I didn't know if he had a problem, or whether he was just backing me up. I didn't know and I couldn't take the risk of just overtaking him."

“He was going so slowly and then when we got the flashing dash for the VSC ending, he went into first gear and then I was on the outside of him because he was going so slowly, and then he almost crashed into me. So, I honestly have no idea," he added.

The 24-year-old Formula 1 driver further explained that he was shouting into his helmet and admitted that he "was swearing quite a bit."

"But I was so confused. I didn't know what I could do. I'm losing time to Max. The Ferrari guys were, I think, 1.4 seconds behind me after being I think 12s or 13s, so I lost 10 seconds. And I didn't know what I could do at the time," he explained.

However, the incident did not impact the final race result as the McLaren F1 driver finished P2 to Max Verstappen. Nevertheless, the gap between the two drivers might have been reduced by a couple of seconds under normal race conditions.