Why did the British Grand Prix finish under safety car?

The British Grand Prix ended under a safety car because of what the FIA described as a “software error,” triggering boos from a record Silverstone crowd. Charles Leclerc won for Ferrari—his first victory in almost two years—ahead of Mercedes’s George Russell, with Lewis Hamilton third, after Max Verstappen crashed out with four laps remaining. A safety-car-in message was reportedly relayed indicating it would conclude at the end of lap 51, but the instruction was sent in error because unlapped cars had not completed a full lap, leading to a cancelled grandstand finish. The FIA said the message was displayed erroneously due to an automated system loading the note. An FIA investigation was launched. Russell benefited from both Verstappen’s exit and Antonelli’s mechanical failure, while Hamilton served a five-second penalty for a false start and later faced a potential additional penalty related to yellow-flag compliance.