Martin Brundle offered a possible solution for Formula 1 after Lando Norris lost the Spanish GP victory due to the timing of the virtual safety car.
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In Madring, the current champion was controlling the pack and it seemed he was heading for another win in 2026. However, when the VSC was activated, the Brit had passed just seconds after entering the pit lane.
When he stopped at the end of the next lap, the race was already under green flag and he couldn’t save time like Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen. Also, with a slow pit stop, he returned only in fifth and finished the race in third. “It’s a rule that shouldn’t decide an entire race. I was the only one on the grid who didn’t get the chance to make the pit stop. It’s simply bad luck. This is probably one of the first times a win was lost simply because of that,” he said.
And Brundle also commented on the case, saying what happened to Norris ‘felt like a robbery.’ “Antonelli and Verstappen were immediately magnanimous after the race by declaring that the win would have been Norris’s, if not for the untimely timing of the VSC. Should a driver lose a race because another made a mistake or had a car failure?” he wrote in his post-race column for Sky Sports F1.
“The game turns over a season and even a career, but on Sunday, the feeling was of a real robbery.”
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“Some motorsport categories temporarily close the pit lane, except for emergency repairs (or emergency refueling, if applicable), but this can cause confusion and congestion in the pits, as well as not guaranteeing equality for all,” he continued.
“A solution could be to ensure that once the *Virtual Safety Car* is activated, it remains in effect for at least one full lap of all competitors, making the situation fairer. Although, of course, this reduces race time at maximum speed under green flag, which is exactly what the audience wants to see in the stands and on their devices.”
“I hope that by next year, the Madrid circuit will present layout changes to facilitate overtaking, a more compact and practical backstage organization, and better signaling for everyone. The project has all the ingredients to make a relevant contribution to the F1 season,” he concluded.
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