The FIA has added a new circuit map from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards in a bid to reduce the need for safety car interventions after Formula 1 drivers need to abandon their cars on track, Motorsport.com has learned.
After conducting a thorough analysis of safety car deployments during the 2024 season, the FIA concluded there were a surprising amount of instances where a safety car could be avoided by stopping the car in a location where it can be recovered without sending a vehicle on track. In these cases, a safety car was sent out on track when, in hindsight, yellow flags or a Virtual Safety Car would have sufficed.
