The Formula 1 World Championship is getting a new safety car this year in the form of a specially-equipped Aston Martin Vantage. Adorning the new safety car is the same shade of Aston Martin Racing Green as the automaker’s new Formula 1 car. The Vantage also features a Lime Essence pinstripe across the front lip, side skirts, and rear diffuser.
Like the Mercedes-AMG GT that will share
the role as Formula 1’s official safety car with partner brand Aston Martin
this season, the Vantage has a prominent light bar sitting atop a carbon fiber
plinth. This light bar hasn’t just been designed to flash when the car joins
the track but it has also been designed to offer the least possible aerodynamic
resistance and optimizes air flow towards the rear wing. The latter is also
equipped with a rear-facing camera that feeds a live image into a secondary
rear-view mirror in the cabin.
Speaking of the interior, it has been
equipped with FIA-approved racing seats with six-point safety harnesses. The
center console has also been modified and now supports a switch control system
used to operate various functions, such as activating the car’s siren, radio
communications, and controlling the light bar.
Aston Martin also tweaked with the
performance of the car, extracting an additional 24.6 hp from the 4.0-liter
twin-turbocharged V8, bringing power up to 528 horses. The new front splitter
also adds 60 kg of extra downforce over a road-going Vantage
while the British marque has also tweaked the suspension, steering and dampers.
The car will be driven by Bernd Mayländer.
Joining the Aston Martin Vantage Safety
Car in the F1 paddock this year will be an Aston Martin DBX serving as the
official medical car. It too has Aston Martin Racing Green paint with Lime
Green accents, a distinctive livery, LED rear number plate, and a roof-mounted
LED light bar.
