Formula One will introduce the Virtual Safety Car during the 2015 Formula One World Championship.
The Virtual Safety Car [VSC] was successfully testing during the final races of the season in 2014 after Formula One wanted to take a stronger control over drivers speed under double waved yellow flag periods.
This decision was made following the events of Jules Bianchi’s crash in Japan where the Marussia driver failed to slow down significantly in a double waved yellow area.
Bianchi lost control of his car in wet conditions and hit a recovery vehicle which was off the track removing Adrian Sutil’s Sauber. Later investigations revealed that Bianchi had failed to slow down significantly ahead of the horror crash.
The new VSC can be thrown during a Grand Prix for an incident which required a double waved yellow for a section of the track but does not require the actual safety car to be diploid.
All electronic marshal panels around the track will display ‘VSC’, while teams will be notified via the official messaging system.
Under the VSC all drivers must slow down to the set time frame per section of the track and must not go to slow or too quickly during these sections.
Drivers will not be allowed to enter the pits, unless changing tyres during a VSC period.
Once race control is happy the incident is cleared, teams will be notified via the official messaging system.
Then around 10-15 seconds later the ‘VSC’ electronic display panels will change to green and racing begins immediately.
FIA confirm new virtual safety car procedures
