Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc both questioned the speeds of the safety cars after the Autralian Grand Prix on Sunday. Both drivers felt the car was going too slowly which was impacting the drivers ability to heat up their tyres.
However, the FIA has clarified its position in a swipe back at the two drivers.
A new statement warned the impact of the performance of the cars is a “secondary consideration” with safety the priority. The statement warned safety car speeds were “dictated by race control” and “not limited by the capabilities” of the vehicles.
It added the models were “bespoke high-performance vehicles”. The FIA even defended Aston Martin, adding the cars were prepared by “two of the world’s top manufacturers”.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen compares F1 safety car to a ‘turtle’
The statement even hit back at the drivers, warning they were “responsible for driving in a safe manner at all times according to the conditions of their car and the circuit”.
It comes after Verstappen described the Aston Martin Vantage safety car for being a “turtle” after the race on Sunday.
The reigning champion even called for the FIA to review the safety car rules after he raised safety concerns.
He said: “To drive 140 [km/h] on the back straight, there was not a damaged car, so I don’t understand why we have to drive so slowly. We have to investigate. For sure the Mercedes safety car is faster because of the extra aero, because this Aston Martin is really slow.
“It definitely needs more grip, because our tyres were stone cold. It’s pretty terrible the way we are driving behind the safety car at the moment.”
