It’s been 26 years since Mercedes picked up Safety Car responsibilities for the Formula 1 World Championship. This year, the German carmaker and competitor has added two new cars to the stable of stunning automobiles keeping the world’s greatest drivers safe.
Making an entrance at the upcoming Bahrain GP on 20th March, Mercedes-AMG will release the 2022 Safety Car and Medical Car: the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series and Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+, respectively:
The Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series comes ahead of last year’s GT R model, and delivers a solid 730 brake horsepower, about 75 percent of what Lewis Hamilton has at his disposal. It includes new light signaling in the windscreen and, unusually, rear-facing lights in the rear spoiler rather than a roof-mounted lightbar.
Accompanied by an adjustable suspension and carbon fiber aero components, the car makes it to 100kph in a blistering 3.2 seconds, and pulls all the way to 325kph.
Meanwhile, the 4-door Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ will be replacing the 2021 C 63 S AMG Estate. With the space to store three race medics and their specialized gear, the car is still almost as fast as the GT Black Series, clocking in a 0-100 time of 3.2 seconds and top speed of 313kph.
Safety Car Driver Bernd Maylander’s Thoughts
Bernd Maylander has fulfilled an important duty for nearly every Formula 1 Grand Prix since 2000 – he’s in charge of driving the Safety Car.
After the car’s release, Maylander took a quick look, reporting his findings to the FIA. “I’ve already had the chance to test this amazing vehicle many times and I’m simply blown away by how close it is to a thoroughbred race car,” he enthused.
“It really is a major step compared to last year’s GT R – which was already at an extremely high level. To have a workplace like this in the name of safety is a dream come true.”
Aston Martin Safety Cars
Along with the Mercedes-AMG vehicles, Aston Martin will reprise their 2021 contract to provide extra safety/medical cars in the form of the Aston Martin Vantage and DBX, respectively.
“It is a continuing source of pride for myself and the whole company to see our cars playing a crucial role in Formula 1,” said Aston Martin Lagonda Chief Executive Officer Tobias Moers.
The Formula 1 2022 World Championship begins on March 20th, at the Bahrain International Circuit.
(Featured Image Credits: Mercedes-AMG, FIA)
