The new Aston Martin Vantage road car has spawned a new-generation Formula One safety car from the British brand, bringing more power and better aerodynamics in an effort that should please three-time champion Max Verstappen.
Following the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen criticised the Aston Martin Vantage safety car for being too slow compared to the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series used at certain races.
The Dutch driver went as far as calling the Vantage a “turtle”, which was backed up by timing data which showed the Aston Martin was almost five seconds slower than the Mercedes-AMG GT at some circuits.
However, last month’s launch of the new Vantage sports car has led Aston Martin to upgrade its Formula One safety car.
Like the road car, the new Aston Martin Formula One safety car boasts significant performance improvements, now producing 489kW of power and 800Nm of torque from its Mercedes-AMG built twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8.
This is 114kW and 115Nm more than the previous Vantage, and matches the torque outputs of the GT Black Series, though it’s still 48kW down on the track-focused Mercedes.
While the previous Aston Martin Vantage safety car was largely unchanged from the road-going example – save for its flashing light pod and other related equipment – the new version now has a larger front splitter and a deep rear wing to help keep its corner speeds up.
Inside, there are Recaro Pole Position seats, a bespoke centre console for all the buttons and switches required for a safety car and multiple screens, displaying lap times and GPS data rather than what the occupants are listening to.
The new Aston Martin Vantage will make its debut as Formula One’s safety car of choice at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, appearing multiple times this season on rotation with the aforementioned Mercedes-AMG.
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