Lewis Hamilton had the 2021 World Championship in his hands. He led the Abu Dhabi finale comfortably into lap 53 of 58, on course for a record eighth title. Then Nicholas Latifi crashed, the Safety Car came out, and everything changed. Max Verstappen dived into the pits for fresh soft tyres while Hamilton, leading, stayed out on old hards. The Safety Car bunched the whole field up behind it, wiping out Hamilton's lead, and on the final lap Verstappen swept past on his fresher rubber to win the race and the title. (The FIA later found the restart had been handled against its own rules, but the strategic point stands.)
That one afternoon shows exactly why the difference between the two ways F1 slows a race down, the Safety Car and the Virtual Safety Car (VSC)
