What are “lapped cars” in F1 and what does it mean when its said “they are allowed to unlap”?

Question

I’m trying to understand what exactly happened in the Abu Dabi F1 2021 Drama, but as someone very new to racing I don’t seem to understand what exactly happened. I keep hearing lapped cars were allowed to unlap, but as someone who hasn’t seen that match or any for that matter, I don’t exactly know what that means.

In: Other

Answer 1

**Allowed to Unlap**: During a safety car period (when the safety car is deployed to slow down the race due to an incident on the track), race officials may allow lapped cars to pass the safety car and rejoin the back of the field. This procedure helps to ensure that the race can restart with cars in the correct order, avoiding lapped cars interfering with the battle for positions among the leaders.