Formula 1 is testing a “virtual safety car”

In the event of a crash or some other dangerous situation on the track, many forms of motorsport deploy a safety car that leads the race cars around at a safer speed. But in the wake of Formula One driver Jules Bianchi’s terrifying crash at the Japanese Grand Prix, F1 officials are testing a system that could make safety cars obsolete. At the US Grand Prix after the practice rounds on Friday, teams tested a new “virtual safety car” program that forces them to reduce their speeds to about 35 percent less than a normal dry lap time.