FIA defended over key Silverstone call: 'It is a shame, but what can you do?'

George Russell has defended the FIA's decision to end the British Grand Prix behind the safety car, drawing a direct comparison with the controversial 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi, and insisting the governing body was right to follow the regulations to the letter.

Charles Leclerc took victory at Silverstone after Max Verstappen crashed heavily at Stowe with four laps remaining, triggering a safety car period that could not be resolved before the chequered flag.

Under FIA regulations, once lapped cars are instructed to unlap themselves, at least one full lap must be completed before the safety car can come in.

With the unlapping process beginning — and being completed — so late, there was simply no remaining lap on which to restart

The situation was complicated by a software error that briefly displayed the "Safety Car In This Lap" message on timing screens, raising expectations of a green-flag finish before being quickly corrected.

The FIA confirmed the erroneous message was the result of a glitch and that the correct procedures had been followed throughout.

Fans at Silverstone booed loudly when it became clear the race would not restart, and criticism flooded social media, with some talking heads, including Martin Brundle, advocating for race director Rui Marques to have used his discretion.

Yet Russell, who finished second behind Leclerc and ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, was unequivocal in his support for the FIA's handling of the finale.

"Of course, it's a shame for any race to finish behind the Safety Car," Russell said to media, including RacingNews365, after the race. "But then you go back to Abu Dhabi '21, and that is just how racing goes.

"Nobody can plan for somebody to have an incident, and the way F1 deals with it, and the FIA deals with it, shouldn't be any different at the end of the race compared to the start of the race."

Lessons learned from Abu Dhabi

The comparison with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 is a pointed one, and the parallels have undoubtedly reopened old wounds.

On that occasion, race director Michael Masi selectively allowed only the lapped cars between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap, then brought the safety car in a lap earlier than the regulations stipulated, engineering a one-lap shootout that handed Verstappen his first world championship.

The FIA later concluded the rules had been incorrectly applied, and Masi was removed from his position.

At Silverstone, the opposite happened. The rules were followed correctly, even though the outcome was anticlimactic for a record crowd.

There is a legitimate debate to be had about whether the regulations themselves should be reviewed to avoid races finishing under neutralised conditions.

But that is a question for the rulemakers, not for race control in the heat of the moment. Bending the rules for the sake of spectacle is precisely what produced the contentious outcome at the Yas Marina Circuit five years ago.

Russell acknowledged as much, pointing out that safety car finishes remain rare in the grand scheme of things.

"Obviously, there was a lot of chat post-Abu Dhabi '21," he continued. "If you actually look at the number of races that have finished under the Safety Car over the past 20 years, it's not actually a lot.

"So, as I said, it is a shame, but what can you do? I don't think it should be different."