"The safety car was going so slow,
it was like a turtle
. Incredible."
This is how lapidary the current Formula 1 world champion,
Max Verstappen
, was after having to circulate behind the Aston Martin Vantage during the 2022 Australian Grand Prix.
Not satisfied with that, he was a little more hurtful against the British manufacturer: "I'm sure the Mercedes safety car is faster because of the extra aerodynamics, because this Aston Martin is really slow. It definitely needs more grip, because our tires were very cold," he said.
As of 2021, the provision of the safety car and the medical car in the top category of motorsport
will be shared
between Mercedes-Benz, exclusive supplier for years, and the English brand.
While the Aston Martin Vantage wasn't exactly a "turtle," as Verstappen called it, there was a small performance difference in favor of the Mercedes-AMG GT R.
For the 2024 Formula 1 championship, the British constructor has improved its car and created the
fastest Vantage of all time
, so as not to give anyone reason to complain about the performance.
The debut will be this weekend at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix.
New engine with more power
The Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car will debut this weekend at the Saudi Arabia GP.
All part of the launch, three weeks ago, of the new street Vantage, a model that is used as a base to create this special version, which inherits the improvements of the renewed model and adds some of its own to fulfill its task on the track.
Powered by a
powerful hand-built 4.0 Twin-Turbo V8 engine
, the new Vantage is the fastest in its class and offers a 30% increase in power over the previous model, ensuring the Vantage Safety Car goes fast in everything moment.
Aston Martin has so much faith in the performance of the new engine, that it did not make any extra updates to the safety car, nor changes to its cooling system nor any improvement in brake performance to adapt it to its role as
Safety Car
of the FIA.
The Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car has a new rear spoiler for greater downforce.
Now
there are 656 horses delivered by its V8 engine
, 153 more than the previous edition.
Where it did have changes was in modified aerodynamics under the floor, along with an extended and profiled front splitter.
Furthermore, to achieve greater downforce, a
new rear spoiler
has been specifically installed .
The FIA light bar has a new profile on the Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car.
The FIA light bar has also received a new aerodynamic profile, as "every millisecond of performance is vital while leading the pack of F1 cars with rapidly cooling tires," the official statement indicates and everything is reminiscent of the complaint by Verstappen.
Within the Vantage Safety Car there are a large
number of systems to help the driver and passenger fulfill their roles
.
The production seats have been replaced with
Pole Position
seats to better support the occupants.
A bespoke center console is equipped with switches to control the FIA systems, along with screens showing live lap times, track positioning of all cars and a rear-view camera.
All the equipment for the occupants to fulfill their roles in the Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car.
Bernd Mayländer, official F1 safety car driver, commented: “The Aston Martin Vantage is a pleasure to drive.
“The car comes from an incredible lineage and this newest version is the fastest yet.”
The German acknowledged that his "first impressions were very positive, as
I could immediately feel the improvement in handling
and, of course, power."
He stressed that "we need a car that is fast so that we can respond quickly and safely when we get the call for track deployment and Vantage provides that. I have enjoyed driving the Vantage for the last three seasons and I am happy to be one of the “first to drive the new Vantage.”
Competition seats for the Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car.
New profile for the front aerodynamic work on the Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car.
For street and track, the new Aston Martin Vantage and Vantage Safety Car.