Aston Martin and Mercedes share the credit: 'These cars have to be fast above all'

Aston Martin and Mercedes share the honour

Mercedes have been leading Formula 1 with its Safety Car since 1996, but in 2021 it will have to share that honour with Aston Martin. The British manufacturer will supply a specially equipped version of their Vantage sports model for the Safety Car, and will use the Aston Martin DBX as the Medical Car. Mercedes will continue to use the Mercedes-AMG GT R and Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Estate. Aston Martin may make its debut at the first weekend in Bahrain, while Mercedes will take charge of the race in Imola.

''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," Michael Masi said in the FIA statement.

Fast cars in F1

''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!''

''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,'' concluded Stefano Domenicali.