When you watch a Formula One race, it is inevitable that you will hear commentary about vehicles that have been passed, backmarkers, and blue flags. As a Formula One viewer, it is helpful to have an understanding of exactly what lapped cars are in F1, as well as whether or not those cars finish the race.
In Formula One, cars that have been lapped are at least one complete lap behind the race leader. They have been actually passed by the leader on the track, but this does not improve their position; they are still one lap behind the leader.
They are considered to have finished the race (as indicated by their classification in the race results), but they do not run the entire distance of the race.
So, what do “lapped” cars mean in F1? A lapped car is a car permitted to overtake another vehicle in front of it on the racetrack, regardless of whether that vehicle is on a later lap). Once it has passed that vehicle, the lapped vehicle unlaps itself and rejoins the lead lap.
There are a number of complexities to these regulations surrounding lapping and passing other vehicles.
Since there are a number of aspects to these rules, let’s delve into the details and examine some practical instances of how the rules and their perception may affect races.
But before we get into that, let’s talk about the backmarkers in Formula One.
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is a “Backmarker” in Formula One?
In Formula One, a car that has a tendency to race toward the back of the group on a consistent basis is called a backmarker.
These backmarkers are unable to maintain the same lap times as the leading cars, and as a result, they slip further and further behind the leaders as the race progresses.
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At some point, the front-running vehicles will have progressed far enough ahead of the pack on the track that they will be forced to pass a backmarker.
Note: Once they have passed the car in the back of them, the car in back of them will be lapped.
During each Formula One season, there are typically two or three teams whose vehicles finish in the backmarkers on a consistent basis.
It is going to be very challenging for a team to make major strides in improving their cars’ times in comparison to the rest of the competition if they start the season with a position near the rear of the field for their vehicles.
This is due to the fact that every other team is consistently working to improve their vehicles as well.
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Why Do They Allow Backmarkers in Formula One?
In Formula One, there is a significant performance gap between the several teams that make up the grid, which results in the presence of backmarkers.
The disparity can be attributed to the fact that every team had to individually design and construct the majority of their vehicle in accordance with a set of regulations.
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This is in contrast to a “spec series,” in which all of the competing vehicles utilize the very same chassis and engine configuration.
As a result of the cars competing in a standard series being so comparable to one another, the field is typically quite competitive, with a relatively small gap separating the quickest and the slowest vehicles.
The Rule of 107%
In Formula One, the gap between the car that is the fastest and the car that is the slowest tends to be wider. Yet, there is a restriction that will restrict this spread and will prevent cars that are not even remotely competitive from taking part.
To be eligible for the race, each vehicle must achieve a lap time that is within 107 percent of the time achieved by the car that starts in the pole position.
A complete lap deficit to the race leader can be reached in just 33 laps for a car that is only 3% slower than the leader. At this point, the car in front of the slower one can pass it and complete a lap around it.
When this occurs, the car in front of the slower car will have a physical advantage on the track.
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There has been no change to the classification of the slower car, and it remains in the same place in the competition which it was until it was overtaken by a faster vehicle.
What Exactly Do the Blue Flags Mean in Formula One?
In Formula One, slower cars are warned by backmarkers with blue flags when a faster car is getting closer.
Blue flags are waved in front of slower cars as a warning that the quicker cars behind them are going to pass them and lap them.
Note: This happens when a faster car is getting closer to a backmarker and will soon pass that car. They will then have to make space for the car behind them that is going quicker.
This is done to prevent accidents, as well as to stop backmarkers from slowing down the frontrunners and may be interfering with the race for the lead.
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Throughout a race, if a blue flag is raised, the driver of the slower car is required to find the earliest chance to get off the racing line in order to let the driver of the faster car through.
In the event that the vehicle moving at a slower pace is unable to pass, more blue flags will be displayed. After receiving 3 blue flags, the vehicle can become subject to a penalty for impeding the progress of another vehicle.
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Does F1 Allow DRS Behind the Rear of the Pack?
In F1, DRS is available behind backmarkers. This is the case even if the vehicle in the back is being signaled with blue flags to move over and let the vehicle in front of it that is going quicker pass.
In order to prevent backmarkers from interfering with the race, this makes it simpler for lead cars to pass them.
The Drag Reduction System, abbreviated as DRS, was first used in the 2011 season and was designed to make passing other cars easier.
When the Drag Reduction System (DRS) is engaged, a flap located within the vehicle’s rear wing temporarily lifts up. This reduces the amount of drag that is produced by the rear wing and enables the vehicle to travel faster over straightaways.
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Due to this boost in speed, the car equipped with DRS is able to more easily get around the car that is in front of them on the track.
In Formula One, Do the Cars that Get Lapped Still Finish the Race?
In Formula One, cars that are passed during the race are still considered to have finished the event and are factored into the final standings.
Note: They do not, nevertheless, finish the entire race distance because they finish at least one lap less than the winner of the race.
The first time that they pass the finish line following the person in the lead of the race, their race is over.
The categorization of such vehicles, which reveals that they finished more than one lap behind the winner, indicates that they were lapped. The vehicles that have been lapped must have finished at least 90 percent of the total race distance in order to be classified.
For instance, in a race consisting of 60 laps, any vehicle that is able to finish at least 54 circuits before the leader car crosses the finish line is eligible for inclusion in the race ranking.
What Exactly Does It Mean When You Unlap Yourself in Formula One?
A car that has been lapped is permitted to pass any car that is in front of them on the track, regardless of whether or not the car in question is on a lap that is farther ahead.
When it overtakes the other vehicle, the car that had been lapped regains its position on the first row of the race.
It is not particularly frequent for a car to unlap itself in Formula One, as it is more likely for the car to have been lapped because it is noticeably slower than the rest of the competitors.
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Nevertheless, if a car stops in the pits to get new tires, there is one situation in which it is possible for the car to unlap itself.
If the cars in front of you are using older, more worn tires, or if they are trying to conserve their tires by not driving at their true top speed, then a car that has been lapped can show a speed that is quicker than the speed of the vehicles in front of you when they are using new rubber.
Especially with the current Pirelli tires, which are developed to deteriorate in order to drive the strategy of pit stops, there is a substantial disparity in the amount of time it takes to complete a lap with old tires compared to fresh ones.
Note: On occasion, a car may have completed further laps because it was experiencing a temporary problem with its engine or transmission, which the driver was able to correct while the vehicle was still on the circuit.
Once it has reached its previous level of peak performance, the vehicle might then be able to automatically unlap itself.
Formula One’s Rules for Unlapping Safety Cars
The Formula One Sporting Rules, which are available to the general public on the website of the FIA, contain the rules that govern unlapping while a safety car is on the track.
Under the safety car conditions, there are a variety of specific restrictions to follow, the most essential of which is that there is not to be any passing allowed.
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Another guideline that may be easily observed is that the following vehicles are expected to stay within ten car lengths of the car in front of them.
Note: Whenever the safety car gets out, it indicates that lapped vehicles will be in the same approximate position on the track as they were in before the car came out, but they will very certainly be out of place in regard to the race ranking.
To put it another way, even though a vehicle is ranked last in its classification, there is still a chance that it will finish in the middle of the pack.
In addition to this, the players in the entire field cluster tightly behind one another.
The Protocol for the Unlapping of Safety Cars
Following the lead of the safety car, the race vehicles continue to go around the track in a circle without passing one another.
The regulations stipulate that after it has been determined that it is safe, a message will be transmitted to the competitors informing them that lapped cars could now pass one another.
At this stage of the competition, the regulations stipulate that “any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be compelled to pass the cars on the lead lap as well as the safety car.”
After being passed by, these cars are given the opportunity to continue driving around the course at a pace that is considered appropriate in order to catch up with the rest of the field.
They will then be in the proper grid position to match their classification at that time, and more importantly, in some instances, they will no longer be behind by one lap.
In addition, at the conclusion of the following lap, the safety car will enter the pit lane once the last car that was lapped by the leaders has passed the leading car.
In conclusion, once the track has been deemed secure, the vehicles that have been lapped are permitted to pass the cars in front of them, unlap themselves, and then continue to the end of the pack.
When the safety car returned to the pits at the beginning of the following lap, the action resumed as normal.
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The FIA Modifies the F1 Regulation Regarding Lapped Cars Passing the Safety Car
The regulation that was at the heart of the contentious result of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s race for the world championship last year has been altered by the FIA.
When FIA Formula 1 race director Michael Masi controversially decided to resume the race just after letting some of the lapped drivers join the lead lap, the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the subject of controversy.
Masi gave the green light for the 5 vehicles that had fallen off the lead lap to make their way back onto the track so they could compete for the position of a second behind Hamilton.
It was decided that the two other vehicles that had lapped Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jnr, as well as the car that was farther back in the pack, would not be permitted to unlap themselves.
When the restart was called for, Verstappen was able to get ahead of Hamilton and take the lead, ultimately winning the race and the world title. Mercedes quickly filed a protest against the result, claiming that Masi had violated the rules by only allowing a fraction of the field to reclaim the lead lap and that this had prevented Mercedes from winning the race.
The protest lodged by Mercedes was dismissed, and Verstappen was awarded the victory. Nevertheless, in their decision, the stewards admitted that the rule in question, article 48.12 of the 2021 regulations, “may not have been applied fully” at the time in question.
According to the article, “any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car if the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so and the message ‘lapped cars may now overtake’ has been sent to all competitors via the official messaging system,”
The term “any” has been replaced with the word “all” in the comparable item in the rules for the year 2022, which is 55.13. The rule has been updated so that it now reads as follows: “If the clerk of the course considers it safe to do so, and the message ‘lapped cars may now overtake’ has been sent to all competitors using the official messaging system, then all cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap as well as the safety car.”
Mercedes’ primary complaint about the way the race was run was the way the rule in question was interpreted. Masi’s decision to only allow chosen vehicles to continue the lead lap opposed a statement he had made during a race in 2020, as was recently brought out by Toto Wolff, the principal of the Mercedes team.
Note: “How is it possible that the explanation that was given 14 months ago at the Eifel Grand Prix was exactly the opposite of what has happened on Sunday?” said Wolff.
“The reasoning that was given that the reason why the safety car remained out there for so long is that all cars need to unlap themselves with the explanation that this is following the sport’s rules was as follows: Not only has the choice been made in an entirely different manner, but an explanation that is being offered that is 180 degrees different to what occurred 14 months ago.
Conclusion
I hope you liked this article about lapped cars in the Formula One championship, and if you are a great fan of this sport you will also find a lot of interesting and helpful information in our other articles.