Mercedes to be sole F1 Safety Car provider

After sharing Formula 1’s Official Safety and Medical Car role with Aston Martin since 2021, Mercedes will be the sole supplier for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 season. In mid-January, Aston Martin revealed they would not renew their deal that had expired at the end of the 2025 season, with Mercedes announcing later that month they would provide all safety and medical cars for 2026.

“Safety is an absolutely central value of our brand and our products. That is why we have been providing the Official FIA F1 Safety and Medical Car in Formula 1 since 1996,” said Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport.

“From the 2026 season onwards, the FIA F1 Official Cars will once again bear the star at all F1 events. In this way, we will continue to make an active contribution to safety in the premier class of motorsport.”

A safety car was first used in Formula 1 in 1973, but didn’t become a fixture at every grand prix until 1993. Each circuit promoter was required to provide the vehicle back then, before Mercedes did a deal to supply the safety car for all F1 rounds. This commenced with a C36 AMG sedan at the 1996 French Grand Prix.

Since 2022, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series has been an Official FIA F1 Safety Car, with the Mercedes- AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ an Official FIA F1 Medical Car. Both vehicles are currently in use and perform their duties in Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3 and other junior racing series.

At every F1 Grand Prix in 2026, Mercedes-AMG will provide a total of three Official FIA F1 Safety Cars and two Official FIA F1 Medical Cars. Two of these vehicles will be on site and ready for deployment, with the others acting as reserves. Maintenance of this fleet, along with technical support, will be carried out by Mercedes-AMG.

For longtime F1 Safety Car driver, Bernd Mayländer, this year’s Australian F1 Grand Prix on 8 March will mark his 500th start in the role. Since his first drive, at the 2000 Australian Grand Prix, Mayländer has missed only a handful of starts in the role.