Mercedes back to single provider of F1 safety and medical cars

Mercedes has confirmed that it will provide safety and medical cars for full F1 2026 season, as Aston Martin pulls out from shared deal.

Mercedes-AMG is assuming full responsibility for the FIA F1 Official Cars in Formula 1. The performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach and the FIA, the world governing body of motorsport, have agreed on a comprehensive commitment that will take effect from the 2026 season. Mercedes-AMG will provide the Official FIA F1 Safety and Medical Cars at all 24 F1 Grands Prix as well as at the official pre-season tests in Bahrain.

Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport: “Safety is an absolutely central value of our brand and our products. That is why we have been providing the Official FIA F1 Safety and Medical Car in Formula 1 since 1996. From the 2026 season onwards, the FIA F1 Official Cars will once again bear the star at all F1 events. In this way, we will continue to make an active contribution to safety in the premier class of motorsport. For Mercedes-AMG, Formula 1 is not only a sporting platform, but also an environment in which the performance, reliability, and safety of our vehicles become visible under extreme conditions.”

30 years of FIA F1 Safety and Medical Cars with the star – tradition since 1996

The first deployment of a Safety Car with the star dates back to 30 June 1996. At the Formula 1 race in Magny-Cours, Mercedes-Benz appeared for the first time with a Mercedes-Benz C 36 AMG as the FIA F1 Safety and Medical Car. This means that Mercedes-AMG will also be celebrating a special anniversary in 2026: for 30 years now, the brand with the star has stood for safety in Formula 1. Only last year, at the F1 Grand Prix in Austin, the 500th deployment of a Safety Car was marked. Between 1996 and 2026, a total of 13 different models were used as Safety Cars and eight different models as Medical Cars.

Since 2022, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series has been the Official FIA F1 Safety Car, and the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ the Official FIA F1 Medical Car. Both vehicles are also currently in use and perform their duties not only in Formula 1, but also in Formula 2, Formula 3 and other junior and support racing series. Mercedes-AMG provides a total of three Official FIA F1 Safety Cars and two Official FIA F1 Medical Cars. At each race weekend, two of these vehicles are on site and ready for deployment.

Maintenance of the vehicles is carried out by Mercedes-AMG.  Technical support is also provided by a team from Affalterbach. Another constant for 25 years is Bernd Mayländer. The AMG brand ambassador and former racing driver has been at the wheel of the Official FIA F1 Safety Car as driver since the year 2000. The 54-year-old will contest his 500th Grand Prix at the first Formula 1 race of the 2026 season in Melbourne.

 

 

Here’s Mercedes showing its new F1 livery

[The story is per press release]