From wet weather crashes, to collisions with the barriers and engine failures, here’s every time that the Safety Car has been deployed to date during the Dutch Grand Prix!
2022 Dutch Grand Prix, Lap 48
The Safety Car did not come into regular use at Formula 1 races until the 1990s. Zandvoort’s first stint on the F1 calendar came to an end in 1985, meaning that no F1 races at Zandvoort prior to the Dutch Grand Prix’s 2021 return featured Safety Car periods.
The first race of Zandvoort’s comeback – the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix – passed without the need for a Safety Car intervention. It was not until Lap 48 of the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix that the Safety Car was deployed for the first time at the track.
On lap 45, Yuki Tsunoda pulled to the side of the track with a tyre issue. He then continued driving, only to return to the pit lane to have his tyres changed and his seatbelt tightened, having loosened them expecting to retire the car as a result of his earlier stoppage. Tsunoda returned to the track but pulled to the side again on Lap 47, this time coming to a full stop with a differential issue.
The Virtual Safety Car was called as a result of the stranded AlphaTauri. The VSC period lasted for just under four minutes, with racing resuming midway through Lap 50.
2022 Dutch Grand Prix, Lap 56
Six laps after the first Virtual Safety Car outing at Zandvoort, the Safety Car made it first appearance on track at the Dutch Grand Prix. It was called out as a result of Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo coming to a stop near the end of the pit straight with engine issues. The Safety Car period lasted for five laps.
2023 Dutch Grand Prix, Lap 16
There were mixed weather conditions at the start of the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. On a drying track, the yellow flags were shown on Lap 16 when Logan Sargeant collided with the wall. The Safety Car was called out as a result while the damaged Williams car was removed from the barriers.
Lasting six laps, ending at the start of Lap 22, this is the longest Safety Car period to date at the Dutch Grand Prix.
2023 Dutch Grand Prix, Lap 64
Weather conditions deteriorated once more towards the end of the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. A number of drivers made their way off track in the tricky conditions, but it was Zhou Guanyu’s collision with the barriers at Turn 1 which resulted in the deployment of the second Safety Car period of the afternoon.
Less than a minute after the race was placed under Safety Car conditions, the red flag was shown and the race was stopped.
2023 Dutch Grand Prix, Lap 65
45 minutes after the red flag was shown, the Safety Car led the drivers out of the pit lane for the resumption of the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. The Aston Martin Safety Car led the field for two laps before it returned to the pit lane, with a rolling restart getting the Grand Prix back to green flag conditions.
