After the intense F1 Qatar Grand Prix, a significant issue with the Safety Car was brought to light in the cooldown room. The Lusail International Circuit witnessed a chaotic race that called for three Safety Car stints, one of which was due to punctures suffered by Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz.

Unraveling the Safety Car Mystery at the Qatar Grand Prix

The First Safety Car Incident

During the race, various drivers noticed a peculiar problem. Piastri pointed out, "The lights on the Safety Car weren’t going off!" This baffled not only him but also a seemingly disbelieving Leclerc. It created an air of confusion among the drivers.There was a moment when Piastri said, "The second one, where we all went into the last corner, I had no idea what was going to happen…" This added to the uncertainty.

The Race Winner's Perspective

Race winner Verstappen then entered the cooldown room. Leclerc asked him, "We were saying, what was going on with the Safety Car?" Verstappen agreed, saying, "Yeah, they were broken! That’s why I got confused. I was like ‘what should I do?’ Of course I knew they would go out. I knew they were out, but were still on, in a way…"The trio rewatched highlights of the race, which included the debris from Alex Albon’s Williams adding to the chaos. Verstappen noticed, "He drove straight over the mirror. The Sauber."

The Norris Incident

Verstappen and rival Lando Norris were deprived of an exciting head-to-head battle when the McLaren driver was hit with a 10-second time penalty and forced to drop back in the order. When asked about his overtake of Norris at the start, Verstappen answered, "No, we were very close."This race at the Lusail International Circuit truly presented a series of challenges and mysteries regarding the Safety Car, leaving the drivers and fans alike with many questions.