In Belgium, the double Virtual Safety Car was about to push Ferrari and Charles Leclerc to another victory, but there were also those who were penalized by it. If Antonelli managed to recover, catching up and overtaking the Ferrari driver, the same cannot be said for Lando Norris, whose race was ruined by the neutralization. The drivers will address the topic at the Hungaroring in the usual weekend meeting, in order to avoid other situations similar to that of Spa, but without compromising safety.
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VSC superfluous in Belgium
The first to speak on the matter was Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who did not hide the frustration he felt in Belgium when Leclerc took advantage of the neutralization to make his pit stop: “Honestly, I was a bit annoyed by the situation, not so much by the timing of the Virtual Safety Car, but by the reason. We did two laps under Virtual for nothing. The first lasted 30 seconds and the second, for me, should have lasted even less, because when it came out I was between turns 10 and 12 and they told me there were marshals on track, but when I got there they had already left. There was nothing left.”
The Italian driver intends to raise the issue during this weekend’s drivers’ meeting: “We will talk about it, because there is certainly some inconsistency with yellow flags and the duration of Virtual Safety Cars. In my case, fortunately, I managed to get back into the lead, but I could very well have lost the race and finished second.” The important thing is to understand when the presence of gravel on the racing line becomes a safety risk: “It depends. It’s more dangerous for the car, because you can damage it very easily. When there’s too much, it’s fine [to call the VSC], but when there’s little, 4-5 cars pass and it’s gone.”
The compromise to find
Asked about the same topic, Lando Norris even revealed that he was unaware of the reason for the Virtual Safety Car in Belgium: “I didn’t know there was gravel. When I got there, it was gone. When there’s a lot, I think it’s important to try and remove some. But if it’s because a car touched it a bit with a wheel, to be honest, I think we should continue. Something like that can change an entire race. For me, it did.” According to the world champion, the crux of the matter lies in judging the amount of gravel on the track: “If there’s a lot, because someone really went off and pulled some onto the track, then it’s important to try and remove it, because it could seriously injure you. You could easily break your fingers and I don’t want that,” Lando concluded.
