FIA introduces new circuit map to minimise F1 safety car interventions

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, Autosport 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.

In a bid to solve this issue, the FIA has added a new circuit map to its event notes, which are distributed to all F1 teams before the start of each race weekend. This new map was first used in China and has now been added to the official documents at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

The FIA was already informing teams during the drivers' briefing about the best places to stop their cars in case of a less critical issue - for example, when a technical problem is suspected.

FIA Suzuka track map

Photo by: FIA

The main reason for communicating this information is to highlight the areas where recovery can be handled quickly, so the session can resume as quickly as possible and also allows teams to have a car back at their garage sooner, which is important particularly during practice sessions.

Along the track, locations with gaps wide enough for a car to be pushed through are also marked with fluorescent orange paint on the barriers.

In addition to showing whether a car should be stopped on the left-hand or right-hand side of the track in the event of an issue, the map also features exclamation mark signs to indicate the optimal stopping spots. These are locations where there is a large enough gap in the barrier and sufficient marshals to allow for a quick recovery - potentially eliminating the need for a safety car.

There is also plans to integrate this information into the software used by teams on the pitwall. Autosport understands the necessary software updates will be implemented within the next few races.