The condition of Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari meant the Virtual Safety Car was necessary, according to FIA race director Michael Masi.
Less than a lap having pitted for tyres, the MGU-K on the German’s car would fail, forcing him to stop on the circuit and causing the VSC which allowed Lewis Hamilton to pit and emerge ahead of Vettel’s teammate Charles Leclerc, costing the Monegasque his chance at victory.
“We got a problem on the power unit, on the hybrid side of the power unit, and we got a loss of insulation on the car,” Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto explained.
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“For safety reasons, we called [Sebastian] to stop immediately.
“Of course it’s a shame because 100 metres later was the pit lane, but it was the safest action we could do for Seb, and the safety aspects.”
Given the relatively slow speed on the approach to the chicane where Vettel stopped and the close proximity of a gap in the barrier, some may argue the recovery could have taken place under double waved yellows rather than needing a VSC…
“The car was unsafe, effectively from an electronics point of view, and it stayed unsafe until the end of the race,” Masi clarified.
“So, to recover it in the safest possible manner, and putting marshals out there to do so, it was a very simple decision to put out the VSC.
“Moving it back into that hole, because of the electrical issue that there was with the car, we made sure it was that it was well and truly in a safe position until going forward.
“Because of the electronics, the green light on top for our indication, and immediately our guys came over and said the car is unsafe from an electronics point of view.
“So, from our end, we need to be far more cautious. It’s a very simple VSC. There’s a reason why there’s a whole load of tecpro there, it’s because people can go off. It wasn’t even a second thought.”