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A software malfunction created confusion at the British Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon, leading teams and drivers to believe there would be a one-lap showdown to decide the race’s ending. However, the expected restart never occurred, and once again, Lewis Hamilton was the driver most adversely affected.

The general assumption was that the race would resume for a one-lap sprint after Max Verstappen’s crash at Stowe with four laps remaining. The “Safety Car In This Lap” message appeared on the communication system, prompting Ferrari to call Hamilton in for fresh tyres. The move dropped him from second to third position, costing him valuable points.

As the safety car continued to circulate with 19 cars behind it, Hamilton ultimately lost six net points in his ongoing fight with George Russell for second place in the World Drivers’ Championship standings.

More than four years after one of Formula 1’s most controversial race conclusions, Hamilton once again found himself on the wrong side of a safety car decision. This situation was an ironic reversal of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Verstappen overtook Hamilton to claim his maiden championship.

At that time, then-race director Michael Masi had decided to withdraw the safety car and allow the race — and the championship — to end under green flag conditions. Verstappen had switched to fresh tyres, while Hamilton did not, leading to the decisive overtake that secured the Dutch driver his first Formula 1 title.

Fast forward to 2026, and a senior Mercedes driver found himself benefiting from the safety car staying out — effectively the opposite of what transpired in Abu Dhabi in 2021, when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen’s win cost then-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton his record-breaking eighth title.

Speaking to Phil Duncan of PA Media about the result, George Russell acknowledged that he was fortunate to finish second and extend his points advantage over Hamilton.

“Of course, it’s disappointing for any race to finish behind the Safety Car,” Russell said. “But if you think back to Abu Dhabi ’21, that’s just how racing goes. No one can predict an incident, and the way Formula 1 and the FIA handle it shouldn’t differ between the start and end of a race. There’s been a lot of discussion since Abu Dhabi ’21, but if you look at the number of races finishing under the Safety Car in the past 20 years, it’s actually quite few. So yes, it’s unfortunate, but that’s racing. I don’t think it should be handled differently.”

Hamilton simply echoed his teammate’s remarks, saying, “Yeah, same as George said. Not really much more to add.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who has seen his drivers affected by both controversial outcomes, supported the decision to end the race under caution rather than forcing a dramatic, artificial conclusion.

“Well, I would have preferred for this to happen in ’21,” Wolff told reporters, including Road & Track’s Adam Cooper. “That one was far more significant. But it’s good that the regulations were followed this time. It might not deliver the most exciting finish for spectators, but sport should dictate spectacle, not the other way around. Everyone would have loved to see Lewis on soft tyres battling with us and maybe with Leclerc, but the FIA made the right call.”

The FIA later confirmed that the confusion resulted from a “software error,” stating that “the ‘Safety Car In This Lap’ message was displayed erroneously.” There had never been any intention to restart the race for a single lap following the cleanup from Verstappen’s accident.

The governing body clarified that the decision was made in accordance with the regulations under the Safety Car section, Article B5.13.5, which stipulates that “one lap must be completed following the unlapping procedure.” Race Control followed this procedure correctly.

Post-race, Hamilton faced additional scrutiny after being flagged for a possible single yellow flag infringement. However, after reviewing the incident, the stewards issued only a reprimand without a time penalty, allowing him to keep his podium finish.

According to the stewards, Hamilton’s infraction occurred while he was engaged in a close battle with Verstappen exiting Turn 9 onto the straight. During the safety car phase, he did not pass a yellow light on track, missing only the display inside his Ferrari.

When asked about the incident during the post-race press conference, Hamilton explained that he was overtaking Verstappen at the moment in question.

“I literally just got past Max,” Hamilton said. “Coming out of Turn 9, I was watching in my mirror because I thought he might try to come back like George had earlier. That’s where my focus was, and I didn’t notice the flag. Later, on the radio, I asked if there had been a yellow because I hadn’t seen one. That’s all there was to it.”