F1 confirms Aston Martin and Mercedes safety/medical car from 2021

F1 has officially confirmed Aston Martin and Mercedes to share duties of safety and medical car from 2021 season onward.

As was speculated last year about Aston Martin and Mercedes jointly providing the safety and medical car from 2021 F1 season onward, it has now been confirmed. The former will field a modified Vantage as the safety car and DBX as the medical car in green colour.

At the same time, the latter will continue with its modified AMG GT R as the safety car and C 63 S Estate as the medical car. It won’t be in the traditional silver colour as they have switched to red in partnership with its F1 partner, CrowdStrike.

The partnership will see the manufacturer in use in alternative F1 races, with Aston Martin to go first in Bahrain GP, while Mercedes then to follow for the Emilia Romagna GP. Considering there are 23 rounds, the British car maker will be in 12 races to 11.

Talking about the changes, Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO, Formula 1, said: “We are very pleased to announce our new partnership with both Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG to provide the Official Safety and Medical Cars to the FIA Formula One World Championship. Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG are iconic automotive brands, and we are proud of their place in our incredible sport.

“The safety and medical cars are a hugely important part Formula 1 and are always there to keep our drivers safe. Last season we witnessed the heroic speed and dedication required by the crews in rescuing Romain Grosjean from his dramatic accident, and the both the Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG cars are perfectly equipped to respond at a moment’s notice to ensure the safety of the drivers.”

At the same time, Michael Masi, FIA Formula 1 Race Director and Safety Delegate, said: “We are delighted to welcome Aston Martin as a supplier of FIA Formula 1 Safety and Medical Cars, sharing the role together with our longstanding partners at Mercedes-AMG who have been with us since 1996.

“The Safety and Medical Cars are an essential part of running a safe and successful FIA Formula One World Championship event – from track tests and inspections to race interventions and neutralisations, they are a vital tool for myself as Race Director and my team to utilise in order to keep everyone safe and get back to racing as efficiently as we can following an incident.

“These cars need to be fast in all conditions and carry a huge amount of cutting-edge technology onboard, and looking at the Vantage and DBX, Aston Martin has done an impressive job getting the cars ready for action. I think the fans are going to really love the new additions at selected events this year – Aston Martin is an iconic brand with a huge amount of racing heritage – and likewise also with the new-look Mercedes-AMG GT R, it will certainly keep Formula 1 looking fast even when we have to slow the racing cars down.”

From the manufacturer point of view, Mercedes CEO Philipp Schiemer stated: “In recent years the FIA has done a huge amount for safety in Formula 1. Nonetheless, accidents cannot be completely avoided, and this is when we see how important the work of the stewards and the dependability of the safety car and medical car are.

“With our AMG GT R and our C 63 S Estate, we have two tailor-made, racetrack-tested cars in our portfolio that have proved their worth as the FIA Safety Car and FIA Medical Car. The new look also suits them extremely well.”

At the same time, Christoph Sagemuller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, added: “Vehicles from Mercedes-AMG have been leading the F1 field safely around the track as Official Safety Cars since 1996, whenever poor weather conditions or incidents call for their use.

“It was therefore a matter of course for us to extend the contract again. Maximum safety is one of our highest priorities – both in motorsport and for our road vehicles. But we of course hope that both cars will need to be used as little as possible this season.”

While Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers, added: “Together with the whole company, I am extremely proud of the Aston Martin brands return to Formula 1^, the pinnacle of motorsport for the first time in more than 60 years and represents the start of a significant new era for Aston Martin.

“To see our acclaimed Vantage, our most dynamic sports car, performing the role of the Official Safety Car of Formula 1 and our first SUV, DBX, operate as the Medical Car on F1 circuits around the world is a proud moment for us all.”

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