Boos at Silverstone as British GP ends behind safety car amid ‘software error’

A record Silverstone crowd booed the farcical conclusion to Sunday’s British Grand Prix which ended behind a safety car amid a “software error”.

Charles Leclerc claimed his first win in almost two years for Ferrari, with George Russell second and Lewis Hamilton completing the podium. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli failed to score after he damaged his Mercedes.

A safety car had been deployed with four laps left after Max Verstappen crashed out from third.

The stage appeared set for a thrilling one-lap finale as a message was relayed that the safety car would be in at the end of the 51st of 52 racing laps.

However, it was sent by the governing FIA in error – because the unlapped cars had not completed a full lap – and a grandstand finish was scrubbed off.

The 175,000-strong crowd booed as they felt they were denied a potentially thrilling conclusion, with home favourites Russell and Hamilton, on fresh tyres, both in the hunt for victory.

A spokesperson for the FIA said the “safety car in” message was “displayed erroneously due to a software error”.

It is understood the automated note was loaded into the system and sent out simply by mistake. An investigation has been launched by the FIA to understand how it happened.

The safety car regulation was tightened up after the farce of the Abu Dhabi decider in 2021 where Hamilton lost a record eighth crown to Verstappen when race director Michael Masi failed to follow the rulebook. Here, the regulation was correctly applied.

However, the decision did not sit lightly with the Silverstone spectators who jeered as the cars crossed the line.

Respected Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle said in commentary: “Have you got a bleeping machine? I’m going to need it shortly. We were all denied a proper end to the Grand Prix.”

In the end, Russell was the biggest winner. He had been running as low as seventh after he suffered a right-rear puncture.

But he capitalised on Verstappen’s crash and Antonelli’s mechanical failure – as well as both Hamilton and Lando Norris (who finished fourth) stopping for new tyres under the safety car – to take an unexpected second.

He is now just 25 points behind Antonelli after his Mercedes team-mate broke his left wheel shield by running wide at Copse when he was due to finish as runner-up to Leclerc. Antonelli crossed the line in ninth but was sanctioned for exceeding track limits and demoted to 16th.

“Of course it is a shame for any race to finish under the safety car,” said Russell. “But then you go back to Abu Dhabi in 2021, and that is how racing goes.

“The way F1 and FIA deal with it should not be any differently at the end of the race compared to the start. If you look at the number of races that finished behind the safety car for the past 20 years, it is not a lot. It is a shame. But what can you do?”

Hamilton started third and finished in the same position after he served a five-second penalty for jumping the start before losing out to Russell when he changed tyres in the closing stages.

“The team asked me to stop, and I assumed I would be holding position,” explained a downbeat Hamilton. “If they told me I would lose position I wouldn’t have done it.”

After the race, Hamilton was sent to the stewards on the charge of failing to slow for a single yellow flag when Nico Hulkenberg broke down on lap 39.

However, Hamilton escaped with a reprimand and, despite Ferrari’s strategy faux-pas, is now 32 points behind Antonelli having started his home race 47 points adrift.