Celebrating 500 Races of the Mercedes-AMG Safety Car

All of the Lights

Mercedes-AMG provides a total of three Official F1 Safety Cars. Two of these vehicles are on standby at every race weekend. As soon as the Safety Car is on track, the light and signal systems are activated.

Since 2022, these are no longer mounted as bars on the roof of the vehicle, but are fully integrated into the vehicle – for optimum aerodynamic functionality.

A total of 21 LED modules ensure visibility: six in the windscreen, thirteen in the rear wing and two on the rear number plate. When in use, fourteen light up continuously in orange, while seven in the centre of the rear wing flash in the same colour.

Together with the digital information provided on site and the instructions from the race engineers, this is a clear signal to the drivers to line up behind the Safety Car. When the signals turn green, the vehicle may be overtaken.

Statistics of the Safety Car

The most laps behind the Safety Car in a race (33 across four different deployments) were driven in São Paulo in 2016.

The longest safety car phase, 19 laps in one go, was at Fuji in 2007.

The most individual deployments in a single race came at the 2011 at the Canadian Grand Prix. Bernd Mayländer – the F1 Safety Car driver since 2000 - had to take to the track in the SLS AMG a total of five times, completing four, four, fifteen, four and three laps respectively.

Extremely ‘Proud’ to Carry the Responsibility:

Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport said: “Not only Formula 1, but also the Safety Cars have continuously evolved since the first vehicle bearing the star emblem was deployed in 1996.

“We are proud of this long-standing collaboration and of the trust placed in us by the FIA to actively contribute to safety in the pinnacle of motorsport with our high-performance products. It underlines our ambition to unite precision and performance at the highest level.

“We are particularly pleased to carry this responsibility from Affalterbach and – even under extreme conditions – to remain a dependable partner.

For many years, Bernd Mayländer has been an equally experienced and trusted colleague from within our ranks.”

Bernd Mayländer, Official FIA F1® Safety Car Driver & AMG Brand Ambassador said: “I’ve had the honour of driving many fascinating Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG cars in Formula 1.

“I’m proud of that and at the same time deeply grateful. Over the years, I’ve experienced countless unforgettable moments. One of the most remarkable was the Grand Prix in Fuji in 2007.

“I was out on track for 19 laps, already keeping a close eye on the fuel gauge. Then the rain eased, the race was released, and I came into the pits to switch to the second car – only to be sent straight back out again after an accident.

“That race will always stay with me.”

A Journey Through Time

^{1996: Mercedes-Benz C 36 AMG}

^{1997 – 1999: Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG}

^{2000: Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG}

^{2001 – 2002: Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG}

^{2003: Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG}

^{2004 – 2005: Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG}

^{2006 – 2007: Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG}

^{2008 – 2009: Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG}

^{2010 – 2012: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG}

^{2012 (German GP onwards) – 2014: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT}

^{2015 – 2017: Mercedes-AMG GT S}

^{2018 – 2021: Mercedes-AMG GT R}

^{2022 – Present: Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series}