How the Virtual Safety Car works

[@xChrisS41x]

I imagine drivers seeing a ghost VSC via augmented reality in their visors in the future. That'd be cool if it's reliable

[@pablowako]

xChrisS41x *fuuuUuuUuuture* It would be amazing.

[@Fractured_Code]

There's been some laser technology in the works for a bit...before intel canceled it. :( Claims of being always focused no matter what your eyes focus to. I've been dreaming of applications ever since I heard about it. Now this is on that list :)

[@nachostv4217]

Believe it or not that's far from impossible with todays technology. But would mean the helmets will be fitted with electronics, and the visor being partly a screen. I wouldn't be surprised if something like this is already on the drawing board somewhere.

[@xChrisS41x]

Nachos TV there already have been prototypes of cars with AR on the windshield. Flexible, transparent OLED screens could be fitted in the helmets visor. Problem is the tracking (probably needs a camera or some kind of sensor system communicating with the track itself) and safety (what happens when the screen goes black/cracks/etc. and the driver can't see?)

[@nachostv4217]

Chris Yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking with the safety, but that's where some superb engineering comes into play. Engineers do different spectrums of how great the room for mistake is depending on what they're engineering. A jet-fighter's flare system for example has to work EVERYTIME, within milliseconds. No big room for error there, and I'm pretty sure the engineers thinking about that kind of stuff have solutions for it. It will definitely need a camera, since reading whatever's on screen has never been as easy as it is now. And there are already a fuckton of AR wizards out there. I think it would be, when all the faults and safety hazards have been sorted, a very nice addition for both the drivers and the fans at the event, since having a camera on the helmet would give direct POV to fans from their favourite drivers while providing useful info to the driver. Could be more stuff than just the VSC, could also show which flags are on, location on track, other drivers location on track. Ofcourse with that much info it is also important to not have it clutter too much, since that could just do the opposite for an already stressed out F1 driver. Also Edit: Thanks Chris for being a cool dude I love discussing pseudo-projects. :P

[@mkl_]

That "strange comment" Vettel made has now been confirmed by FIA: it is possible to exploit the VSC system due to the loophole that Vettel mentioned.

[@RonaiHenrik]

Do you have a source where I could read upon that? I'm interested in the details.

[@k4kes]

@@RonaiHenrik I'd advise you to google for : FIA confirms VSC loophole // OR Whiting Statement on VSC loophole. The TL : DR is more or less : Since the 50m Distance for the VSC measurements are based on Car travel Distance, you can in theory gain an advantage when traveling weird angels. Its not like you can gain seconds doing that, but a few tenths here and there are confirmed to be possible, which can be a lot in F1. Which is why Vettel was complaining about it in the first place i would assume.

[@cmfrtblynmb02]

Vettel is one of the smartest guys on the grid. I was thinking that he would not say something like this if it did not make any sense.

[@ditanugroho5654]

@@k4kes i thought VSC work by limiting the car power

[@k4kes]

​@@ditanugroho5654 I thought the same in the beginning, that basically every car would have an engine mode that can be engaged by the FIA throughout the whole track on every car when pushing a button. Which would simply lower the cars power by X%. And im pretty certain that something like that was in the talks at the very beginning, or rather i read an article about it at least, but that might have been false the whole time who knows. Anyway like i said in my other comment Its actually way simpler, but that leaves room for a loopholes like the one Vettel mentioned. And i know that a lot of the Fans just commented the whole thing as "Ah Vettel is crying againg" because for some reason there is a huge part of the F1 fanbase that for some reason doesnt like Vettel. But in the end, i cant remember a single Person, whether from FIA or from the paddock to ever say anything against what Vettel said that proofed he is wrong. So yea..

[@jammo2k5]

You can also gain time by going slower than the VSC allows and like Sebastian said save distance, and speed up when it's about to end to have a higher speed when it ends essentially giving you a better start speed than everyone else. As long as you are behind the VSC at the time of end it should be ok, it's risky but so is racing in general.

[@mrrhombus716]

This is what they should all be doing anyways. Unless they're slowing down to the point the encroach on other cars it's fine.

[@phillipborja]

I'm from the future to tell you this is what Perez did exactly to Grosjean in Japan 2018.

[@benjamins2683]

Lol just commented the same but yeah imagine a driver is about to enter a curve when vsc ends they lose time compared to others who use the vsc loophole

[@JUK3MASTER]

@@phillipborja im from the further future to tell you Russel did that to Perez in Hungary 2022

[@npxox]

Really wasn't aware how vsc work mate 🙏... Keep up the good work ✌️

[@Locormus2]

cutie marshmallow yhf uygfxqu vcbgg 6 yujuby.v .

[@jakes.4147]

Can we just take a moment and appreciate how goddamn long the animation and calculation for the time difference visuals must have taken!

[@yashagarwal8284]

sure

[@CallMeMarex]

Finally a good and understandable description of the VSC. I always knew the VSC existed and was slowing down the cars while roughly maintaining the distances between them, but now I actually know how it works in detail (how does the driver know, who controls it, benefits). Thanks :)

[@stephenwhiddett]

I knew drivers had to stick to deltas under VSC but never knew the technicalities about sectors and 50m updates. Its great to learn new details. I'm pretty sure you don't work in F1 Stuart, so where do you get this in depth knowledge from?

[@AdzSONLINE]

I had no idea how this actually worked, absolutely fascinating thank you

[@LordKirtash]

Nice explanation. Thank you so much.

[@mohammedfaizan1062]

The most detailed explanation there is.

[@leonardantal6333]

The cool thing about your videos is that even if you know the topic pretty well, you still have some interesting details to learn. Keep it up mate!

[@mixedgaming01]

The VSC calculation taken every 50M works based upon the distance from the finish line. The exploit Sebastian Vettel talks about is that, if you carefully chose the optimum (literally shortest, not fastest), you can save just a little time. The VSC's calculations are distance-based, not based upon fixed points.

[@pancake8133]

Basically if you turn the track into a perfect circle. And then you had another track that was a slightly smaller circle and you put a car on each track going the exact same speed, who would do more laps? The smaller circle. By changing your line to the absolute shortest length possible (e.g. cutting inside turns instead of a proper apex from the outside) you're effectively shrinking the overall track length so your time per lap goes down.

[@elPatrixf]

I had no idea it worked like this. Awesome job man!

[@odd-looking-dude]

Crystal clear explanation as always. Great channel. Thanks 👍

[@ChrisC7498_]

I cant describe how much i look forward to your videos. Great Stuff

[@rudyramadhana4127]

So, the analogy for this is a ghost like in any racing game time trial. Amazing analogy you have there

[@Slimmeyy]

Somewhat getting freaked out. You're nailing the subjects I don't understand about F1. Perfectly.

[@roelfrizzle]

Amazingly simple explanations! I really learn from these videos and watching races is getting far more interesting. One request, would you like to make a video on how F1 chassis are constructed and how much they vary from team tot team? Thank you!

[@stavrosk.2868]

The best videos explaining F1 by far. The author goes immediately to work. No useless banter, pseudo reflections. Clear, concise and complete. Great job.

[@biograss55]

Always liked every video you made, the way you explain it is so much better than the F1 pundit.. Looking forward for the next video about pitting under VSC...

[@cloudidn]

Couldn't agree more fam

[@romansyed3782]

woww I have improved the VSC regulations knowledge.... As usual thank you bro u r the best of best....... Keep it up and improve our interest through digitally....

[@NVActonline]

I dont' usually post comments on KZbin, but mate, you're doing some really great content here! Keep Up!

[@agift4u240]

Great vid as always thank you!

[@pablowako]

These videos help out a ton. I'm completely new to F1. My dad used to love them but I understood nothing, now I love them because I understand everything. Thank you very much!

[@rgarlinyc]

Perfectly explained, thanks a gazillion !

[@alcosta732]

I think what Vettel refered to was that one can mantain higher speeds (to keep tyres and breaks up on temp) if you do crazy, longer racing lines, thus cheating the "go slower" purpose of the VSC

[@joshuapinter]

That actually makes sense. Longer lines means more friction and warmth in tires with the same "time". Also, more fuel burned which may be beneficial for some strategies to lose weight.

[@TheJokerit19]

Not directly related to the topic of this video, but the marshaling sectors (aka mini-sectors) are also used in instances where a driver has improved in lap time and or sector time following an off-track excursion, and or a yellow flag-zone to determine whether the improvement was a direct outcome of the off-track excursion or not and whether he slowed down sufficiently for the yellows or not respectively. Examples concerning the former are the numerous instances from last season's US GP weekend, for example, where the drivers were allowed leave the track briefly with all four wheels at turns 9 and 19 because it was determined that it doesn't give an advantage in overall lap or sector time by looking at how much time it takes to drive from the light panel before the corner(s) in question to the light panel following the corner. The examples concerning the latter, on the other hand, are, for example, the cases of Hulkenberg and Rosberg in 2016 Austrian and Hungarian GP qualifying sessions respectively.

[@icecreamkimi7002]

I consider myself rather aware of the sporting and technical regulations, having an engineering background too, but each and every time I watch one of your videos you manage to learn me something new at some point. Plus you've already been told but your explanations are crystal clear. Really awesome, keep up the good work !

[@sr_echo]

Not only did I learn more about vsc, I also learned a little more of how sectors are used in qualifiers Great informative vid as always!

[@metaloper]

You are a gifted teacher my friend.

[@paulchhetri8838]

Such a great informative video.. u doing such a great job.. keep it up!!❤❤

[@krilin84]

Interesting video! Wasn't aware of the details of this!

[@draconicdusk5911]

Awesome to see the VSC explained in detail! Thanks chainbear!

[@metaphoricalemon835]

Thanks Stuart, this was really informative and well explained!

[@ecag2138]

Simply the most informative channel I've ever seen. What a great video.

[@feliciaxedine9402]

The Background music is really On Point. Has a race-y, tech-y feel. Good choice.

[@chainbear]

*CORRECTION CORNER* OK, the FIA have clarified how the VSC system can be (very slightly) gamed. and here's a follow up on that: t.co/1RNwxaNV7Q (thank you to the 4 billion people who messaged me about this, lol)

[@allenqueen]

yes, Papa ChainBear with a new video... btw, I have seen ALL the videos on this channel,from start to finish. Binged em all somewhere in mid April.

[@rafifbanisandya6628]

I actually knew how it works by playing F1 2017, but this gives me more information so i can understand it more.... Thanks dude!!!

[@aneeshkakumani2608]

I've been watching F1 for 15 years but never had this clear explanation ever ...keep it up .... Soon you'll be asked to do stuff for official F1 channel

[@mohammednabeel7339]

Wow just wow! You da best!! 👍👍

[@angrjams7683]

the clock that the drivers see is the thing I would probably never have known about, nice one dude!

[@billygowhoop]

I've always wondered about VSC. I always assumed that it was like the pit limiter button so this video really clears things up for me.

[@Kokozaftran]

Watched the moment the notification came up. Didn't disappoint :)

[@timowilms8102]

I think you forgot one important thing to tell about the virtual safetycar, when a virtual safetycar starts the gaps between the drivers should be about the same, but because they all go slower you will see the time-gaps will increase. This will help it self when the virtual safetycar ends because everyone goes back to normal speed and the time-gaps should be around the same as it was before the virtual safetycar. The reason I think this is important, is because when this system was installed in 2015 I didn't understanded why everybody was further behind eachother when the virtual safetycar started, so if you didn't know yet, you know it now... Good video as always, keep it up!

[@chainbear]

Yep the time gaps increase by 30% also!

[@itsyvesss]

been watching F1 like 4 years now and after watching all your videos, and finally understanding some things i didn't before, it's so much cooler than I've been thinking it is this whole time 😂😂🤦🏿‍♂️

[@poachedsalmon8655]

Wow that helped me understand the VSC in minutes! Thanks, great video!

[@MrBuyerman]

Awesome. I learned something today. Very informative and a great style of passing on information. Thanks

[@RydalS]

Thanks for explaining so well

[@Babun13]

Am happy to have found your channel and subscribed to it. Love the informative and simple approach to the various aspects of F1 and racing that you cover. Keep going. !!

[@mateoromeroborba3801]

Thanks to explain this. As usual. Perfectly explained 🔥🔥😝

[@bloodycool1234]

Great job man!! And thanks to the patrons also

[@Frank-Ding]

So clear and so informative, as always. Thanks for the knowledge!

[@jonasplett172]

Thanks this helped a lot, I didn’t know the rules and kept on getting drive through pit penalties in F1 2019. Now I understand and am all good.

[@ticotube2501]

I like how you use a simple circle to explain the basics and only after getting that out of the way you move on to a circuit model.

[@DannyOvox3]

Virtual racing stewart this lad :) you deserve millions of subs mate, really knowledgeable.

[@pagani4488]

Excellent video as always 👌 👍

[@r.s5793]

Thx for your content. It really simplifies everything! GREAT JOB!!

[@FranciscoFRAO]

Awesome!!! I don’t know if this for my request in IG but it did answer!!! Thanks man you are the best!!🏁

[@ericsbuds]

very cool. I never knew exactly how the VSC worked. thanks!

[@defnotatroll]

This is a FANTASTIC video man maybe your best yet, with the hard work put into the animations and research etc, not liking the background music so much though

[@karanjia.viraf.178]

Brilliant one...... keep up the great work 🙏 Thanks to you, F1 fans get a whole new insight to the sport.👍

[@VenomousMoon6]

I absolutely love your channel. One worth subscribing to and watching. Very knowledgeable. Thank you for making me F1 smart. 😋😊

[@marcosniederer]

another great video!

[@captainsener3113]

There's a loophole with pit lane entry and exit with vsc, you can almost drive normal speed in the last sector into the pits because of how much you have to slow down when you engage the pit limiter. Also out the pits you can accelerate and be quicker than the vsc until you rejoin the track after the white line which doesn't affect your delta in the next sector

[@Turbovanilli]

Couldn't formula 1 have a wireless speed limitter built into each car that they control so that the virtual safety actually cuts the max speed to something slow like 40kmh untill the track is clear or makes all cars come to a stop. So that they are in control of the cars not the drivers for that set time

[@HistoricalWonder720]

This video is incredibly well done.

[@aascaal]

Always a great video, thanks dude

[@darrenberkey7017]

Excellent video, wonderfully explained, thanks!

[@widgetdrum]

really good videos. i like these animation

[@Mr2h294]

I have watched a total of mabey 10 races in my life, I just love his videos

[@BC-iq8ks]

Great video as always. I do love how F1 arrogance led to such a complex system. They should done the same thing that WEC did, and just hit the pit limiter, then you don't need timing sectors and constant Delta feedback for pilots.

[@hhhapz]

but each track is different, and you drive at different speeds at different places at the track (as far as I know)

[@BC-iq8ks]

The pit limiter(or any arbitrary speed limit that they would choose) would be a maximum speed for the cars, you're allowed to go below it for a slow corner. As for the overheating , I don't believe this would happen, the LMP1 cars are not that different from the F1 cars in the cooling department and they had no issues , also the conditions under safety car would be worse for cooling, as everyone is receiving turbulent airflow and going slowly around the track. However assuming that the cars will overheat , you can: (1)Increase the speed limit in straights. (2) Just ignore it, and force teams to use larger radiators in the off chance of a VSC . (3) As cars will take x laps to overheat, you can call the VSC only for situations that will last less than x laps. (4) Use the slow zones istead, then just a group of sectors are neutralized. The whole point is that timing every car each 50 meters and checking if they're below a Delta every marshal post is a overly complex solution to introduce something that the sportcars series have done for a long time .

[@Henrix1998]

Bruno Cassino You solutions have a lot of problems. (2) is something that won't ever, ever happen. (3) you can't know how long you need VSC. (4) some drivers will easily get advantage depending are they on the slow part or not when VSC starts and ends

[@Failer__]

Henrix98 why not just calculate the average speed of VCS and put a magic button that would limit the car to this speed, just like the pit line limiter, but higher speed to prevent overheating. I mean. If a VSC is doing a lap time of X minutes Y seconds, its average speed will be let's say 120 kmps. So a car following VCS must go 120 at average. So why make overcomplicated measuring system while you could have a button that limits a car to that speed. And a speed could vary from track to track, it's an electronic button, it doesn't take much effort to lower or rise the limit in car's computer before the next race...

[@Henrix1998]

Hower167 I don't see any gains then, it would be essentially the same system but smaller sectors and what if you lose time to VSC? How it limits your speed then?

[@johannes7059]

Thank you i dint now any of that great job explaining :)

[@cadelaide]

Excellent information! I really look forward to your new posts. How cans teams use pit stops under virtual safety car to their advantage.

[@desertpair2]

Very nicely explained. Thanks!

[@jtalexandre]

Very clear. Thank you for the explanation.

[@SilverScarletSpider]

I like the improvements with the virtual safety car, but I still want to see each manufacturer's cars on the track. A Mercedes AMG GTR, Ferrari California, Honda NSX, Mclaren 570S, Nissan GT-R Nismo, Mercedes Mclaren SLR, or Honda Type R in front of the raceleader just for marketing purposes would be awesome

[@stewarthills9344]

If you put distance on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal, the steepness of the curve at any point gives the velocity. So you’ll be able to observe the overall slowness of the VSC.

[@sideslick1024]

AFAIK, I remember hearing somewhere a few months ago that the FIA measures the positioning of the the cars under VSC via the distance traveled *by the wheels*, not distance relative to the track. It's weird, I know. A driver could somehow game the system by going in a straight line, rather than weaving to heat the tires (or vise-versa). I'm not 100% sure how it works, but I think this is what VET's comments are referring to.

[@IanBryce]

That's a fabulous video -- the only thing missing was an explanation about pitting under VSC. Like Vettle in 2018 Melbourne Grand Prix, and how this loophole helped him win the race over Hamilton

[@turbotoblast4]

Amazing explanation, thank you!

[@HinanawiTenko]

I honestly think his comment is based on exit speeds when the green is waved again. Taking wide lines is a way of maintaining a higher speed while staying behind the VSC and, therefor, a quicker rolling launch on green.

[@MrFulleraaron]

Very good piece, thanks.

[@fabiocabral5492]

I like the actual safety car most, just because it piles everyone up again and the restart is always exciting. Sure, it's not very fair, but it is entertaining.

[@oand10]

ik this is 3 years old, but any thoughts on that Verstappen safety car title win?

[@fabiocabral5492]

@@oand10 the one problem i see with that is that it was gonna either end the championship in a sc, which would be anti-climatic or, as it happened, they would have to do these weird gymnastics in the rule book. Pity...

[@theredestbull]

I like the VSC!

[@TheDareMaximus]

i actually hate it, because with only safety car the race would be more interesanting, if u deploy VSC u just slow down a race and that's it.. the only thing is that VSC can change strategy of the driver and this is all

[@theredestbull]

hm, I get your point, but it's not meant to make the race more interesting, it is a safety measure. But the VSC does not destroy a lead someone has build. And the Safety Car usually takes forever to get back in, even if the reason for it is gone, while the VSC can be 'deployed' for only half a round or whatever

[@ashwinmohan4503]

If they could save distance by VSC, they could save distance with normal safety car. Track is the same, and drivers control racing lines. Everyone would do it, again neutralizig the field. Great system IMHO.. Thanks for explaining it so beautifully

[@net_lag]

I rarely watch races🏁 . I don't know why i get recommended with these kind of videos. But i like it.

[@jaredloveless]

Didn't even know this was a thing, then again, only been paying attention to F1 for the past 2 months.

[@flohwald]

Finally a good explanation for VSC. German TV commentators just don't get it explained well

[@Eden_24_]

The LEC - VER gap went from around 20 s to around 30 s. Nice job there VSC

[@olivialambert4124]

To be fair a mixture of driving shorter lines and driving a silly line that allows you to coast a lot more could provide a fair advantage. It obviously would be far different to the racing line and you could abuse the VSC timing to carry more speed through the corners and less on the straights to keep the same rough lap time whilst saving fuel and potentially keeping tires warmer from the exploit. It doesn't seem a strange comment to me at all, especially considering how much a tiny amount of fuel could offer with engine modes really taking advantage of that sort of thing.

[@GTsunnyD]

A KZbinr knowing more than the F1 drivers, seems legit

[@ravonk4632]

Only thing that advantages a driver under the VSC is a pit-stop (if its allowed, I dont know that). Thats bc you need the same time for the pitstop(no movement) which results in a bit less dintance given up to the other cars. But awesome video!!

[@Stevethe11th]

Maybe what Vettle means is during the vsc drivers can slow down well below the delta and right before the vsc ends they can get back to racing speed because they have a lot of extra time so when the vsc ends they are already at racing speed instead of just starting to speed up.

[@qctomh]

I can see drivers having an augmented reality visor with their delta pace visualised on track in the future

[@MsMc111]

You stick to the time, but travel further on the track if you use the shortest line possible. At the end of the lap you have done the same timed lap as the others, but on a shorter distance.

[@AndreSomers]

What I am missing in this (very nice) video, is a description of what happens with the gaps (measured in time) during a safety car period, and what ways there are to make a good start off the end of the period, and what happens when somebody decides to make a pit stop. It would seem to me that the gaps (in distance) would on average stay the same normally, so that when car A arrives at a point on track after a lap under the VSC his distance to the next driver would be the same as it was last round. However, I gather that the gap we as users see (measured in time) is also measured at these marchalling posts, it being the time passed between driver A passing the post and driver B passing the same post. That would imply that these gaps would also increase under VSC, and decrease again after the end of VSC to the delta they had before the VSC (more or less...).

[@chainbear]

Yeah that's pretty much correct - the time gaps will increase by 30% also. I've covered pitting under SC/VSC before in other videos so I didn't include it here. Making a good start is tricky to do as the timing of the green light to resume racing is randomised inside a 5 second window so it's not easy to predict and ramp up for it.

[@blasphem1a]

How come some people still dislike this video? But nonetheless great video as always. 👌

[@Aereto]

BornfromeyJukeBox The ones who still argue about the VSC that affected positions.

[@WesleyBranton]

Vettel

[@tonderainigelchadambuka8725]

I think what seb meant was, in the final marshalling sector before the the yellow flag becomes green again. Drivers slow down so much so that they are way behind the delta time and then accelerate from the moment they get the green flag warning. By the time lights go green again drivers would've reached a high speed despite still being behind the 'virtual safety car'.

[@nickaalders3667]

Question: So has every person their own VSC delta? If yes wouldn't that create a hole in the system ? because: Lets take the race leader and number 2 driving laps of 1:30:00 and in between them is a lapped car that drives around 1:34:00. The vsc speeds would become 1:57:00 and 2:02:12 and as soon as number 2 catches up with the lapped car it would have to drive the speed of the lapped car (No overtaking) and the gap between 1 and 2 would increase ... Time's writen is an example...

[@chainbear]

no everyone has the same delta