Glossary / General

virtual safety car

22 Episode Mentions

Too Afraid to Ask

When the race gets dangerous, the race control can tell all drivers to slow down and keep a safe distance, even if no car is on the track. This helps keep everyone safe while the problem is fixed.

Technical Definition

In motorsport, a virtual safety car is an electronic system that slows down the race by instructing drivers to reduce speed and maintain gaps, without deploying a physical car on track.

Hear It Discussed

"Ferrari nailed the strategy ahead of the Mercedes by three-stopping. And a bit of fortune for Lewis with that late virtual safety car that allowed him to pit, take his final pit stop."
Lewis Hamilton is back to his best #318 The Intercooler 17:18

"and he was a little bit lucky maybe with the virtual safety car. But Lewis's stints were spot on"
What’s happened to AMG? | The Car Podcast #92 The Car Podcast with Chris Harris & Friends 12:24

"Yeah. And of course, strategically, it was complicated by that virtual safety car. Verstappen had pitted, Antonelli had to then pit in response."
Belgian GP: Antonelli heaps more misery on struggling Russell The Race F1 Podcast 02:30