Aston Martin’s fastest, most driver-focused Vantage is heading to the front of the Formula 1® grid in 2024 as the Official FIA F1 safety car.
A specially equipped version of the latest Vantage, launched in February 2024, will headline one of the highest-pressure jobs in motorsports this season. It will keep watch over the world’s greatest racing circuits alongside Aston Martin’s performance-focused DBX707 SUV, which serves as the official FIA F1 medical car.
Both vehicles made their 2024 debuts at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on March 9, painted in Aston Martin Racing Green to match the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team AMR24 cars driven by teammates Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
The 2024 race calendar marks the 111-year-old bespoke British brand’s fourth season providing the FIA F1 safety car. Each Grand Prix weekend, the Vantage will lead all 20 F1® cars on the race’s formation lap, before taking its place at the exit of the pit lane, ready to intervene and control the pace of the F1 race when required.
As one of the world’s top-performing road-going sports cars, the Vantage required no engine upgrade, no changes to its cooling system, and no upgrade in braking performance to prepare for its starring role as an FIA F1® safety car (the same car that’s on the road). Powered by a hand-built 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine, the new Vantage delivers 656 hp—30% more than the outgoing model—for maximum off-the-line performance.
Patrolling the Grand Prix is the optimal way to showcase the latest Vantage as “the very essence of the Aston Martin brand,” says Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of Aston Martin. “For brand awareness, there is no global, high-octane sporting series that can match F1.”
Though the Vantage underwent a rigorous process to become F1’s official FIA safety car, transforming it for the track was “primarily a task of adding all of the FIA equipment,” Mattiacci adds. “Of course, it has additional aerodynamics not found on the road car to make sure it can attack the racetrack and showcase the capabilities of our newest ultra-luxury high-performance car.”
To prepare the car for its F1® debut, Aston Martin modified its underfloor dynamics and extended and profiled its front splitter. Engineers added a new rear wing—specifically fitted in a bespoke position with a tuned gurney—for extra downforce.
Inside, the Vantage Safety Car is outfitted with equipment that enhances its role, including swapping pole position seats for production seats that keep occupants firmly in place as they circle the track at speed. It also features a bespoke center console with switchgear compatible with the FIA’s systems, as well as screens that show live lap times, the positioning of all of the cars on the track, and a rearview camera. In a nod to the marque’s own racing colors, the safety car features bright Lime Essence trim along its seats and door panels.
Veteran motorsports racer and longtime FIA Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer noticed the new safety car’s boost in handling and power immediately. During races, he and a co-driver are required to remain in the safety car so that they can act immediately when debris from a collision presents a safety hazard or when a car has spun off track.
“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,” says Mayländer, who has led more than 1,300 safety car laps since joining the series 24 years ago. “The car comes from an incredible bloodline and this newest version is the fastest yet.”