FIA Change Safety Car Rules with Immediate Effect

The sport's governing body the FIA said on Sunday that the safety car regulations will be changed from the European Grand Prix onwards, following complaints after last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

In a letter to the teams, FIA race director Charlie Whiting outlined a new format for the deployment and running of safety car periods in a bid to make them safer in future.

"Following the race in Monaco it became clear that whilst the safety car was deployed some cars were being driven at a pace which was clearly too fast for the prevailing conditions," the FIA said in the letter.

World Champion Michael Schumacher crashed out of the race in Monaco when his method of accelerating and braking to warm up the car's brakes and tyres before the restart caused confusion.

The German Ferrari driver collided with Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams as the cars sped through the tunnel on the lap before the safety car was to be brought in and the FIA will now change their methods to prevent that happening again.

"In order to ensure cars are driven in a safe and consistent manner during the lap before the safety car returns to the pits the lights on the car will be extinguished as it enters the pits," the letter added.

Currently, drivers are given a one-lap warning that the safety car will be heading into the pits and that has allowed them to employ tactics like Schumacher's to improve their car's performance at the re-start.

The safety car periods also see some frantic action in the pits when teams call their drivers in immediately to take advantage of the slow running and take on fuel and tyres for a minimum time loss. In Monaco, race winner Jarno Trulli of Renault was one of the drivers to take such advantage.

That action will be stopped from now on because the pits will be closed when the safety car is deployed and will not open again until all the cars are in a line travelling slowly.

"When the message 'safety car is deployed' appears on the timing monitors the pit exit will be closed to all cars except any that are in the pits," the letter explained.

"The pit exit will remain closed until the safety car passes the pit exit with all cars clearly in a line behind it. Until this time we will assume that the line of cars is occupying the track."