Nico Rosberg showed support for the use of the virtual safety car during Formula 1 GPs to avoid the need for a real safety car at every incident, but also suggested solutions to avoid controversies like the one seen in Madrid.
Read more F1: Audi now has a homegrown driver to act as reserve for Bortoleto and Hülkenberg
At last week’s Spanish GP, the VSC was activated moments after the race leader Lando Norris passed the pit entry. As a result, he stopped on the next lap already under green flag, returning to the track only in fifth – in the end, he crossed the finish line in third.
The event sparked debates about the activation of the virtual safety car and Martin Brundle even said it left a feeling of cheating. The 2016 F1 champion then also gave his view on the car.
“We hate seeing cars going around in circles behind the safety car. It’s the most boring thing in motorsport. That’s why the VSC was introduced: to slow down the track in the face of minor hazards, like in Lance Stroll’s case now, since he was almost out of the way. It just took a little time to remove him, and that was it,” he said on the Sky F1 Show podcast.
Read more F1: Vowles admits that updates will not save Williams in 2026
“I think the VSC is still a great solution. These are good ideas that might be worth re-evaluating. We could keep the pit lane closed during the VSC, so no one has the chance to take advantage of the situation. Or, why not? Drastically reduce the speed limit in the pit lane during the VSC, since it all comes down to the time lost during a pit stop.”
Rosberg also added that the main problem lies in the strategic advantage created by making a stop during the VSC condition. “The problem is that during the VSC, the time lost in the pit stop is much less, since everyone on the track is going very slowly. So, when entering the pits, much less race time is lost,” he said.
“And that’s where the big problem arises, making the situation unfair. But if somehow you find a way to make the time lost in the pit stop during the VSC equal to the time lost when there is no VSC… that is, you need to reduce the speed of those going to the pit stop. That could be an idea, for example. That way, everything would be fair and equal for everyone again,” he concluded.
Read more F1: Stella highlights resource investment in Piastri to resolve 2026 difficulties
