> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Gary Anderson: Four incident rule changes F1 should make - URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/four-incident-rule-changes-f1-should-make/ - Published: 2026-09-19T08:54:17.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-19T08:54:17.000Z - Description: There are four changes to how F1 deals with incidents that ex-F1 technical director Gary Anderson thinks it should make - Author: Gary Anderson - Tags: Formula 1, #primary_homepage_feature There’s a set of circumstances in Formula 1 that have irritated me for a long time, something the first race at the new Madring circuit last week exposed. First of all, the use of the VSC. Yes, it’s better than using the safety car every time a car stops on the track, but the reality is if the yellow flag or double yellow flag were adhered to by the drivers and a simple set of consistent penalties were issued, then we wouldn’t need the VSC quite so often. However, we have got ourselves into this situation, and it is ruining racing. There is no way Lando Norris deserved to lose that race at the Madring. He was fully in control, and just because of his on-track position, he lost out to Kimi Antonelli. Even Antonelli admitted, “It’s good to win, but it doesn’t feel as good because I think Lando today deserved the win”. Norris drove a qualifying lap that, as he says, was probably the best lap of his F1 career. He led from pole on medium tyres and eeked out a decent gap and then at the end of lap 14, just as he passed the pit entry, the race director called for a VSC when Lance Stroll pulled off. His rivals got a cheap pitstop, while the VSC was recalled before Norris could take advantage on the next lap. A simple change that doesn’t even require a regulation change would be that all drivers have to pass the start-finish line at least once during a VSC interlude. This would mean that all drivers would have a chance to complete a reduced time-loss pitstop, so it would take away good or bad luck from a grand prix race result. After all, we have something similar when the safety car is being used, the safety car pulls into the pits at the pit entry, however, drivers can’t overtake until the start-finish line. Yes, in the end Norris may not have won the race because of other circumstances, but to potentially steal it away from him through no fault of his is basically influencing the end result. So the question I have to ask is: when could this situation be intentionally used to manipulate a race result? It wasn’t this time, but it could be questioned if it was a close call for points near the end of a championship. Some would say it potentially reduces racing laps, but I don’t agree. If we look at this situation at the Madring, it would have meant we would have stayed under the VSC for another 20 seconds, so it's no big deal. ### Red flag issues Also another thing that bugs me is that when a red flag is thrown during qualifying, the driver who causes the red flag doesn’t really suffer any setback, other than perhaps a damaged car, but drivers on a quick lap potentially lose a set of tyres by having to abort their lap. Why can’t the red flag be thrown from the start-finish line to the scene of the incident? Drivers on a qualifying lap that is past the scene of the incident could finish their lap. Also, if the medical car was required, it could exit the pits at the end of the pitlane so well into the red flag area of the track. Yes cars between the start-finish line and the scene of the incident would still lose a set of tyres, but it’s the old saying: you can’t please all of the people all of the time, but at least you could potentially please some of the drivers some of the time. As far as the driver who causes a red flag getting a penalty, in F2 any driver who causes a red flag loses all their qualifying laps. Personally, I think that is a bit heavy-handed, but to lose your fastest lap in that qualifying session would be a fair punishment. It could make the difference between getting into the next qualifying session or even your actual grid position if you caused it in the final session. Also, during a race red flag situation, I don’t think that drivers should be able to change tyre compounds, so basically you can’t comply with the two-compound race requirement. Yes, you can change tyres to reduce the risk of tyre damage or punctures from running over debris, but that would be the same for everyone. So it again reduces the potential influence on the race result for those who have pitted prior to the red flag and those who hadn’t.