I read the F1 regulations and noticed the obvious problem after Silverstone safety car debacle

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FIA race control technically did nothing wrong at the end of the British Grand Prix, even if fans were understandably unhappy.

The only problem was that a ‘safety car in this lap’ message was erroneously issued, but this was attributed to a software error.

The regulations, as they are, were applied correctly. Because lapped cars were not allowed to overtake until lap 51, they were not permitted to sanction another racing lap.

F1 needs to relax its lapped-car rules after British Grand Prix

The controversial ending overshadowed what had largely been an entertaining race in front of a record crowd. Indeed, some Silverstone fans were booing when they saw the safety car continue for lap 52.

I decided to take a close look at the FIA’s sporting regulations to see if there was any mechanism by which the race could have been restarted, and found that, in this scenario, they’re watertight.

What are your thoughts on the British Grand Prix ending behind the safety car?

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But that’s precisely the issue. It shouldn’t be mandatory to wait an extra lap after allowing the lapped cars through (as it currently is under Article B5.13.5).

At the end of lap 51, Oscar Piastri, the first driver to unlap himself from 12th place, was the best part of a minute behind race leader Charles Leclerc. There was no chance he, or any of the cars behind him, would interfere with the action at the front.

Naturally, there will be some cases where it’s necessary to wait for these drivers to catch the back of the pack. This wasn’t one of them.

• READ MORE: F1 fans all say the same thing about Abu Dhabi 2021 after Silverstone safety car confusion

Rather than having a blanket rule, it should be left at the discretion of the race director depending on the circumstances on track.

There will inevitably be calls for rule changes heading into next season given the backlash from fans and, as a result, promoters and broadcasters.

David Coulthard thinks lapped drivers should be forced to retire in such a scenario, but the real solution may be far more straightforward.