Check out the new Aston Vantage F1 Safety Car
'Safety has never looked so thrilling', reckons Aston Martin - you can say that again
For now at least, the new Aston Martin Vantage family is complete. Following the road car, the GT3 car and the GT4 car (like a 3 with less aero - or a production car with more), there’s this: the new Official Safety Car of Formula 1. It wasn’t quite ready for Bahrain, but it will make its debut at this weekend’s Saudi Arabia GP.
It succeeds the old F1 Edition that was used for the job alongside an AMG GT Black Series - you don’t need to be a racing driver to know there’s a big performance difference between those two. And we all remember Verstappen’s ‘turtle’ comments about the previous 535hp bruiser. Those concerns should be addressed this time around given the huge uptick in power to 665hp and a heavily revised chassis. Interestingly a lot of the package remains stock, with no cooling, braking or performance upgrades. Aston Martin suggests that the new Vantage ‘was born for this role’.
There are changes, however, mostly from a safety perspective but which also hint at what a more driver-focused version of this car - another F1 Edition, perhaps - could be like. Note the extender front splitter and new rear wing, both of which work in conjunction with ‘modified underfloor aerodynamics’. Even the light bar cuts through the air more efficiently than before, which might just be overkill. But it’s nice to know they’re trying hard.
Racy bucket seats inside would surely be a shoo-in for a production model, complete with Schroth harnesses and Lime Essence contrast stitching. The extra switchgear for FIA systems and live race screens, perhaps not so much. However nicely Q is asked. The point is it’s easy to envision a car like this without the aero-optimised light bar and with numberplates on in a showroom.
Safety car wheelman Bernd Maylander is impressed: “My first impressions were very positive as I could immediately feel the improvement in handling and, of course, power. We need a car that is fast and focused so we can respond quickly and safely when we receive the call for on-track deployment and Vantage provides that. I have enjoyed driving Vantage during the past three seasons and I’m happy to now be one of the first to drive the new Vantage and experience its full performance pedigree on the world’s greatest circuits.”
A DBX707 will continue as the Official Medical Car of F1, meaning fans won’t go short of exposure to Aston Martin on a Sunday afternoon. Might it be the AMR24s of Fernando and Lance close behind when the safety car is out? Not long to wait.
Why not use a Valkyrie ?
It shows the ‘new’ Vantage to really be just a nose job whereas the press images of the new car made it look like the (external) changes were more profound. With all the F1 accoutrements it really does look like the ‘old’ Vantage.
Why not use a Valkyrie ?
Outright top speed has never been the most important consideration for an F1 safety car, and examples of this include Fiat Tempra, Opel Vectra and Renault Clio from the 90's.
Why not use a Valkyrie ?
Outright top speed has never been the most important consideration for an F1 safety car, and examples of this include Fiat Tempra, Opel Vectra and Renault Clio from the 90's.
the safety car these days has to be a complete rocket to stand a chance of not slowing the race cars down too much so their cooling packs stop working etc
this is why you saw the introduction of various high power mercedes towards the end of the 90's and even then drivers complain about being slowed too much
F1 cars simply don't work very well at normal road car speeds
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