How the safety car could affect Melbourne

Melbourne has had its share of safety car interruptions over the years. Tony Dodgins considers how one or two more on Sunday could throw the 2010-era race strategies into chaos

"If you reckon that was bad, just wait until we get an early safety car," a team principal said in Bahrain on Sunday night. It set me thinking.

Formula 1 teams do not have separate pit crews for each car. One of the less satisfactory scenarios occurs when everyone piles into the pits for what is effectively a free stop during a safety car period. In the refuelling days, whichever of a team's drivers arrived at the pit second, was stacked for a considerable time while the first car was serviced, effectively ruining his race.

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