New bright red paintwork for Mercedes F1 Safety and Medical cars

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Entering the start of the 2021 Formula 1® season, the Mercedes-AMG Official Safety Car and Official Medical Car of the FIA Formula One World Championship™ have arrived with new paintwork. The signature Mercedes-AMG red not only increases visibility, but also represents the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team partner, CrowdStrike. The market leader in cybersecurity will become the Official Mercedes Safety Car Partner for this season.

As in previous years, the basis for the safety car is the 585 hp Mercedes-AMG GT R and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Estate is used as the medical car.

"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," says Philipp Schiemer, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, adds: "Vehicles from Mercedes-AMG have been leading the Formula 1® 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."

The FIA has a demanding profile of requirements for the Official Safety Car. It must be able to maintain a minimum speed level to prevent the engines of the Formula 1® vehicles from overheating and the tyres and brakes from cooling excessively. Therefore the AMG GT R is perfect for the job, with a top speed of 198mph and 3.6 seconds for the sprint from zero to 60mph.

Since 2000, AMG Brand Ambassador and Instructor at the AMG Driving Academy Bernd Mayländer has been the FIA appointed driver of the Official Safety Car of the FIA Formula One World Championship™: "In all the years my safety cars have never let me down. This exemplary reliability is also a fundamental safety factor. The high race track performance thrills me over and again. I am delighted that I am continuing to drive the FIA Safety Car and in this season it will be even more interesting, not just because of the new colour."

On the technical front, the 585 hp Mercedes-AMG GT R remains consistent from the previous year: the powerful 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine, the front-mid-engine concept with transaxle, the complex design of the chassis, the sophisticated active aerodynamics and the intelligent lightweight construction provide the foundation for excellent vehicle dynamics. Resultantly, the AMG GT R offers the optimum requirements to provide premier class service.

safety car

Alongside the safety car, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Estate is on hand to provide emergency care as an Official Medical Car of the FIA Formula One World Championship™, driven by Alan van der Merwe. Technically, the medical car corresponds to the 510 hp series vehicle, and it is also equipped for use on the track with the optional ceramic high-performance compound braking system. Four individual racing seats with four-point belts offer the driver and the team of doctors optimal support and safety.

The FIA Medical Car follows the Formula 1® field on the starting lap, as the racing cars are grouped particularly closely together in this critical phase of the race. In the event of an incident, the medics are therefore able to reach the scene of the accident rapidly and administer first aid immediately.

In the interior, both safety vehicles have two additional screens. The first showing the current television image of the race broadcast, with the second showing a graphic of the current track positions of individual racing cars. Both safety vehicles are also fitted with a carbon-fibre roof light bar, specially developed by AMG, which accommodates the obligatory flashing light.

During the race, the Official Medical Car of the FIA Formula One World Championship™ and the Official Safety Car are on stand-by next to each other in the pit lane.

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