The 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was simply the second time an F1 race has completed behind a digital security automotive since its official introduction in 2015.
Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz had been squabbling for third on the penultimate lap in Baku, however tangled popping out of Flip 2 inflicting each to crash into the wall.
It was deemed a “racing incident” and meant the grand prix completed below a VSC, the place drivers should scale back their tempo by 30% and can’t overtake each other.
The primary time an F1 race concluded below a VSC was the 2024 Australian GP, the place George Russell crashed at Flip 6 in the course of the last lap leaving his Mercedes lopsided at Albert Park.
However there have been 11 events wherein an F1 grand prix has completed below full security automotive situations, making it a extra frequent incidence.
So, when had been these occasions?
F1 races which completed behind the security automotive
1999 Canadian Grand Prix
The 1999 Canadian GP was the primary F1 race to complete behind a security automotive after Heinz-Harald Frenzen crashed at Flip 3 with 4 laps remaining. It was a devastating incident for the Jordan driver, who was working second on the time and was set for a 3rd podium in six races till a brake failure despatched him spinning into the obstacles at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
This induced the race’s fourth security automotive interval – a then report – and the barrier harm plus shut proximity between the stationary Jordan 199 and the monitor meant the grand prix couldn’t be restarted, leaving Mika Hakkinen because the victor.
It was a 3rd win of the season for that 12 months’s world champion, who was joined on the rostrum by Giancarlo Fisichella and Eddie Irvine after a race the place Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all crashed on the last nook – thus coining the time period ‘Wall of Champions’.
2009 Australian Grand Prix
The 2009 Australian GP was the second time an F1 race has completed behind a security automotive and it occurred due to a collision between Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica with three laps remaining.
Each drivers had been battling for second wherein Vettel tried an overtake on the within of Flip 3, however he went into the aspect of Kubica’s BMW inflicting every automotive to lose its entrance wing. Though they had been initially capable of proceed, the Pole crashed out two corners later whereas Vettel additionally hit that wall however didn’t cease his Pink Bull till the next lap between Turns 10 and 11.
There was plenty of particles, so a security automotive end was ordered which gave Brawn GP its dream debut ending 1-2 with Jenson Button forward of Rubens Barrichello. Toyota’s Jarno Trulli accomplished the rostrum, whereas an investigation deemed Vettel at fault so the eventual four-time world champion, who was making his Pink Bull debut in Melbourne, was given a 10-place grid drop for the next spherical in Malaysia.
2009 Italian Grand Prix
Whereas there was 10 years between F1’s first two security automotive finishes, the third got here fairly quickly after the second. That’s as a result of it occurred on the 2009 Italian GP, six months after Australia, the place Lewis Hamilton was simply behind Button within the battle for second till the reigning world champion crashed between the 2 Lesmo corners on his penultimate lap.
A security automotive was due to this fact deployed but it surely didn’t seem on monitor, as race chief Barrichello was already on his last lap. This meant he couldn’t be picked up, so within the modern-day that might have more than likely been a VSC.
Barrichello crossed the road 2.8s forward of Button for what was Brawn GP’s last victory, forward of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in third whereas the Briton clinched the world title three rounds later.
2010 Monaco Grand Prix
There was only one security automotive end in 2010, which got here on the Monaco GP after a collision between Trulli and Karun Chandhok, who had been battling for 14th with eight laps remaining. Trulli made an formidable transfer down the within of La Rascasse however he slid into the aspect of Chandhok’s HRT, inflicting his Lotus to develop into mounted on prime.
The incident occurred simply in entrance of race chief Mark Webber, who drove the remainder of the grand prix below security automotive situations throughout which Vitaly Petrov retired due to a brake failure.
So the Pink Bull driver claimed back-to-back wins to maneuver to the highest of the championship standings, whereas team-mate Vettel and Renault’s Kubica joined Webber on the rostrum. There was extra drama additional again although, as Schumacher overtook Fernando Alonso for sixth on the ultimate lap but it surely occurred below security automotive situations which means the seven-time world champion obtained a 20s penalty and dropped to twelfth.
2012 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2012 Brazilian GP concluded an extremely thrilling season, the place Vettel and Alonso battled one another all 12 months for his or her third world title. The drama continued into the ultimate race, as Vettel was pressured right into a restoration drive after spinning to final on lap one, whereas rain was continuously on and off in typical Interlagos vogue.
The situations caught out Paul Di Resta on the penultimate lap, as he aquaplaned into the ultimate nook and subsequently hit the obstacles – leaving his Power India stranded on monitor after it had been working in eighth.
Given it occurred so late on, a security automotive was known as for the rest of the race – permitting McLaren’s Button to win forward of Alonso who took his last grand prix victory, whereas the Spaniard’s Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa accomplished the rostrum.
Nevertheless it was nonetheless despair for Alonso, as Vettel completed sixth which was excessive sufficient for the Pink Bull driver to clinch his third consecutive world championship.
2014 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2014 Canadian GP featured one other security automotive end, 15 years on from F1’s first which was additionally at Circuit Gilles Villeneueve. This time it occurred on the ultimate lap after Massa hit the again of fourth-placed Sergio Perez at Flip 1, which induced the Power India to crash at 32G whereas instantly after the Williams nearly struck Vettel’s Pink Bull in third as properly.
It induced the race to complete below security automotive situations which means Vettel’s team-mate Daniel Ricciardo scored the primary win of his F1 profession after overtaking Nico Rosberg two laps earlier than the collision.
2015 Chinese language Grand Prix
The subsequent security automotive end occurred a 12 months later on the 2015 Chinese language GP, when Hamilton claimed his fourth victory in Shanghai forward of Mercedes team-mate Rosberg and Vettel, who was now at Ferrari.
The three had been separated by simply 2.988s after rookie Max Verstappen suffered a transmission failure which induced his Toro Rosso to cease alongside the start-finish straight with three laps remaining.
With not sufficient time for a restart, the race completed below security automotive situations which Vettel would have been grateful for as earlier than it, his team-mate Raikkonen was quickly closing on more energizing tyres.
From begin to end although, Mercedes was the superior workforce and its 1-2 gave Hamilton his second victory in three races earlier than ultimately clinching a 3rd drivers’ title in 2015.
2019 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2019 Bahrain GP is usually well-known for an engine failure costing Charles Leclerc a dominant victory in simply his second Ferrari race, because it dropped him from first to 3rd within the last 9 laps.
However throughout that interval, with 4 excursions to go, Renault agonisingly misplaced a double factors end as inside moments of one another sixth-placed Nico Hulkenberg and Tenth-placed Ricciardo each surprisingly suffered abrupt energy unit failures at Flip 1.
Given each automobiles had been within the runoff space with little time left, a security automotive was introduced out to complete the race. Hamilton emerged victorious forward of Valtteri Bottas in a Mercedes 1-2, whereas the eventual seven-time world champion consoled a dejected Leclerc within the cooldown room.
2020 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2020 Bahrain GP will depart an enduring legacy for its opening lap incident, the place Romain Grosjean struck the barrier at an estimated 67G on the exit of Flip 3. His Haas automotive cut up in half and set alight with Grosjean enduring the flames for roughly 28 seconds, earlier than getting out and luckily solely struggling burns to his fingers and ankles – the halo was credited for stopping additional harm.
But the race, which restarted 80 minutes after the crash, additionally completed below security automotive situations for a second consecutive time on the Bahrain GP. It occurred after the Racing Level of Perez, which was working third, suffered an engine failure and caught fireplace at Flip 10 with 4 laps remaining.
So the Mexican pulled over alongside the next straight, however a scarcity of runoff space meant his RP20 was nonetheless near the monitor. This made it troublesome to clear the realm in time for a restart, which means Hamilton turned the primary driver to win below three security automotive finishes.
The Pink Bull pair of Verstappen and Alex Albon accomplished the rostrum whereas Perez, who changed the Thai-Briton for the next season, rapidly bounced again as he claimed his maiden grand prix victory per week later on the identical venue.
2022 Italian Grand Prix
The protection automotive end on the 2022 Italian GP was pretty controversial, because it prompted criticism from varied members of the paddock who thought the race ought to have been restarted. It happened due to Ricciardo stopping his McLaren between the 2 Lesmo corners as a consequence of an oil leak with eight laps remaining.
However the reigning Italian GP winner left his automotive caught in gear, which meant it couldn’t be moved again behind the obstacles and required a crane to raise it from trackside. The FIA opted in opposition to a crimson flag, so Verstappen gained below security automotive situations forward of Leclerc and George Russell.
An FIA spokesperson defined: “Whereas each effort was made to recuperate Automotive #3 rapidly and resume racing, the scenario developed and marshals had been unable to place the automotive into impartial and push it into the escape street.
“As the security of the restoration operation is our solely precedence, and the incident was not vital sufficient to require a crimson flag, the race ended below security automotive following the procedures agreed between the FIA and all opponents.
“The timing of the security automotive interval inside a race has no bearing on this process.”
2023 Australian Grand Prix
The 2023 Australian GP featured one other controversial end. With six laps to go, Kevin Magnussen induced a security automotive after crashing on the exit of Flip 2, however that turned a crimson flag three excursions later due to the particles on monitor.
A standing restart occurred on the penultimate lap, but a multi-car collision in direction of the again at Flip 1 induced one other crimson flag. So with solely a lap remaining, drivers left the pit lane behind the security automotive and the race completed below mentioned situations the place Verstappen gained forward of runner-up Hamilton and third-placed Alonso.
Altogether, there have been three crimson flags in that race which prompted criticism of the FIA as Lando Norris, who completed sixth, claimed “the entire level of crimson flagging it, it appears like was simply to placed on a present”.
