Since 1996, Mercedes-Benz has been delivering the FIA Formula One Safety Car World Championship. That is changing this year, though Mercedes-AMG is still a part of the new safety and medical cars.
Breaking the decades-long tradition, Aston Martin will now deliver the safety and medical cars for the 2021 season. It’s official: the Aston Martin Vantage is the Formula 1 safety car, while the DBX, the carmaker’s first sports utility vehicle, will be the medical car – both powered by the same Mercedes-AMG M177 V8 engine with twin-turbocharged 4.0 liters.
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As seen in the images above, both the Vantage and DBX will be wearing the Racing Green team color of the Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One team. Both have Lime Green accents on the body, while certain modifications are added to better suit their purposes, such as the LED light bar on the roof and the FIA brands, along with chassis and aerodynamic improvements.
The FIA’s appointed driver, Bernd Mayländer, and former racer Richard Darker will drive the safety car. Meanwhile, Alan van der Merwe will be driving the medical car.
The power for the Vantage safety car has increased – an additional 24 horsepower for a total output of 528 horsepower (394 kilowatts) and a torque of 685 Newton meters. The Aston Martin DBX medical car, on the other hand, makes do with its 542 hp (405 kW) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) curves.
The two AMG-powered Aston Martin vehicles make their F1 debut during the three-day pre-season test in Bahrain on March 12-14, 2021. They will then participate in the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship at the same time. track two weeks later.
It is noteworthy that the Mercedes-AMG GT R has been the official F1 safety car since 2018, following the AMG GT S from 2015 to 2017. This is the first time in the history of Formula One that the British luxury brand has been the official safety and medical cars.