Aston Martin has confirmed that it and Formula 1 have not extended the deal for the British marque to supply Safety and Medical cars, bringing an end to their five-year relationship.<\/p>\n
Mercedes will therefore be the sport\u2019s sole Safety and Medical Car supplier for the F1 2026 championship.<\/p>\n
Goodbye to the Aston Martin Safety and Medical Cars<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Since 2021, Aston Martin<\/a> and Mercedes have shared the responsibility of supplying F1\u2019s official course cars.<\/p>\n The first Aston Martin Safety Car used in 2021 was a Vantage that featured 535 horsepower.<\/p>\n However, Max Verstappen wasn\u2019t impressed when he was stuck lapping behind the Safety Car at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just that there\u2019s so little grip because the safety car was driving so slowly,\u201d Verstappen said as per The Race.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was like a turtle. Unbelievable.<\/p>\n \u201cWith that car, to drive 140km\/h on the back straight where that was not a damaged car anymore, I don\u2019t understand why we have to drive so slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercedes driver George Russell estimated the Aston Martin was about five seconds per lap slower than the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series Safety Car.<\/p>\n The FIA responded to the drivers\u2019 criticism on social media: \u201cIn light of recent comments regarding the pace of the FIA Formula 1 Safety Car, the FIA would like to reiterate that the primary function of the FIA Formula 1 Safety Car is, of course, not outright speed, but the safety of the drivers, marshals and officials.\u201d<\/p>\n Aston Martin subsequently upgraded the Vantage in 2024, up to 656bhp, before adding a further 14bhp during the car\u2019s 2025 upgrade.<\/p>\n Aston Martin also supplied a DBX707 SUV as medical car.<\/p>\n However, the green cars will no longer feature in Formula 1 after Aston Martin and Formula 1 opted not to renew their five-year deal.<\/p>\n \u201cAston Martin\u2019s agreement with Formula 1 to provide the Official FIA Safety and Medical Car concluded at the end of the 2025 season,\u201d a spokesperson told PlanetF1.com in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving amplified the brand\u2019s return to F1, we are grateful for the association and success of holding this critical role on the grid for the past five years.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Mat Coch<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n