Last month, Aston Martin paraded the new 2025 Vantage to the world. So it makes sense that the British sportscar maker will use the new model to lead the Formula 1 field around the formation lap at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The new Vantage improves performance over the outgoing model by some margin. This will undoubtedly be good news for Bernd Maylander, the man who has led over 1,300 laps of Formula One, piloting various incarnations of safety cars over the years. The Aston Martin Vantage was first introduced as a safety car in 2021 and shares its role with the Mercedes-AMG GT across various calendar events.
It should hopefully keep the impatient F1 drivers happy, too, as they’re often cooped up behind the SC. Although the F1 safety car is a road car driven to its limits during incident periods, drivers of the much more sensitive machinery need to maintain adequate velocity to ensure tire and brake temperatures are maintained with a workable window.
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The Aston initially came under heavy criticism for being too slow. At the time, F1 World Champion Max Verstappen compared the Vantage to a turtle, saying the Mercedes safety car was faster due to its aero. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had similar thoughts, saying he wanted to complain but could see how much the Aston was sliding in the corners. The criticism was so bad that the FIA, the sport’s governing body, had to defend the old Vantage, so hopefully, the new car will go some way to rectify that.
So far, it’s on track to do so. This new Vantage somehow managed to add a whopping 153 hp and 85 lb-ft (115 Nm) of torque compared with the outgoing model, dropping the 0–60 mph (0–96 km/h) time to 3.4 seconds and on to a top speed of 202 mph (325 km/h). That said, power is still down compared to the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series safety car, which boasts 730 hp compared to the Aston’s 656 hp.
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However, the drivers’ observations from 2022 suggest that outright power is not as much of a concern as the car’s ability to sustain speed in the corners. To that end, Aston Martin has paid particular attention to aerodynamics — 2024’s Aston safety car features a modified underfloor, along with an extended and profiled front splitter. There’s a new rear wing mounted in a bespoke position and a tuned Gurney flap, while even the lightbar has been reprofiled to reduce drag. Needless to say, these elements will not be found on the road car.
As with all modern safety cars, the interior of the Vantage has been extensively modified for the unique task of controlling the field of F1 cars. The additions include a bespoke center console that works hand in hand with the FIA equipment. Multiple screens are fitted which display live lap times, the real-time position of F1 cars on track, and a rear-view camera feed. Meanwhile, the standard chairs have been replaced with Pole Position Seats with harnesses to keep Maylander and his co-driver safely in place.
The new Aston Martin Vantage will take to the track at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Saturday, March 9th, 2024. It will join the DBX707 Medical car as the only road cars allowed on track during the F1 sessions this weekend.
