Word is the new Aston Martin F1 safety car also makes 656hp from its AMG-V8
Since 2021, safety car duties have been shared between long-standing supplier, Mercedes,which runs a 720bhp AMG GT Black Series track-focused sports car and the upgraded Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition. That outgoing Aston is almost 200bhp less powerful than the Mercedes, produces less downforce and is 45kg heavier.
Given the subsequent difference in lap time, with the Mercedes estimated to be five seconds quicker, Max Verstappen famously labelled the Vantage a “turtle” for not circulating fast enough to allow drivers to maintain tyre temperature. So Aston Martin said, “hold my teh o’ limau ais!”
Moreover, speaking at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, the now reigning three-time world champion said , “The safety car was driving so slow, it was like a turtle. Unbelievable. To drive 140 [km/h] on the back straight, there was not a damaged car, so I don’t understand why we have to drive so slowly. We have to investigate.”
“For sure, the Mercedes safety car is faster because of the extra aero, because this Aston Martin is really slow. It definitely needs more grip, because our tires were stone cold. It’s pretty terrible the way we are driving behind the safety car at the moment.” He concluded.
However, Aston Martin is set to debut a new safety car this season having been heavily updated as part of a mid-life refresh. Along with revised bodywork and new grille, power has been increased to 656bhp thanks to bigger turbochargers, more cooling and new camshafts for its AMG-supplied 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.
On top of that, the new Aston Martin Vantage has been spotted testing ahead of the opening day of F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain, complete with a rear wing and dark green and black camouflage livery. The new Vantage is said to be introduced for the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP, the second race of the campaign.
The Aston Martin F1 team and its Vantage safety car carry significant branding from Aramco, the Saudi state oil company. The new Vantage, its GT3 racing counterpart and the AMR24 F1 challenger were all launched on 12 February 2024.
Aston Martin also provides the F1 medical car, which in 2023 was upgraded from the standard DBX sports utility vehicle to the upgraded 707 model, named in deference of its power output.
We got all this from Motorsport.com and their full article is linked here. Thank you Motorsport.com for the information and images.
