The safety car brought the Grand Prix at Silverstone to a close without a race decision on the track: Toto Wolff sees this as the right outcome
The loud boos at the end of the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone made it clear how little the fans thought of the neutralized finish. But Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reacted with relief: Unlike the famous 2021 Formula 1 finale in Abu Dhabi, “the regulations were followed,” said Wolff. “That’s good.”
Wolff also said: “I would have preferred it if this had happened back in 2021. That would have been significantly more important.”
From his perspective, this is understandable: If the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix—like Silverstone in 2026—had ended under yellow flags, it likely wouldn’t have been Max Verstappen who became world champion, but Lewis Hamilton. It would have been a historic eighth world championship title, which would have made Hamilton—then a Mercedes driver—the sole record holder.
How the FIA and Formula 1 reacted to Abu Dhabi
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) responded to the 2021 Abu Dhabi race and amended the Formula 1 rules. One consequence of this was that the race was no longer restarted at Silverstone in 2026. “Sometimes that doesn’t make for the most exciting race finish,” says Wolff.
“From an entertainment standpoint, of course, everyone would have loved to see Lewis battle us—and perhaps Charles Leclerc as well—on the soft tires. But that’s sports. The show follows the sport—not the other way around,” Wolff explained. “That’s why it’s the right call for the FIA to have made this decision.”
George Russell Welcomes Race Control’s Consistent Stance
George Russell, one of the directors of the Formula 1 Drivers’ Union (GPDA), shares a similar view: “The way Formula 1 and the FIA handle such a situation shouldn’t be any different at the end of the race than at the start. Yes, it’s a shame—but what can you do?”
“Of course, there was a lot of discussion about this after Abu Dhabi 2021. However, if you look at how many races over the past 20 years have actually finished behind the safety car, it’s not that many,” said Russell. That’s true: The statistics show a dozen Grands Prix out of hundreds of races that have ended behind the safety car.
The finish at Silverstone in 2026 is therefore a rare occurrence—and is likely to spark significantly less debate than Abu Dhabi 2021. Even when asked about the incorrect display suggesting the safety car would return to the pits one lap before the end, Wolff refused to condemn it. He said: “In a situation like that, mistakes can happen. It was corrected, and that’s the end of it.”
