Mercedes becomes sole F1 safety car supplier as Aston Martin pulls out  

Mercedes will be the sole supplier of the Formula 1 safety car and medical car in 2026 as Aston Martin decided against renewing its deal.

Aston Martin and Mercedes had been sharing duties to supply course cars to F1 since 2021, with Mercedes providing an AMG GT Black Series and Aston Martin supplying the Vantage F1 edition as the official safety cars.

But Aston Martin’s deal expired at the end of the 2025 campaign and the company has decided against renewing its terms.

The F1 edition Vantage that Aston Martin had been delivering since 2024 boasted 656hp generated by its AMG-supplied 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 – an upgrade over a previous, less powerful model that drew criticism from the drivers for its reported lack of performance.

Aston also entered a 697-hp version of the DBX707 luxury SUV as its F1 medical car.

In a statement shared with Autosport, the British automaker confirmed that its deal to provide F1 safety cars had ended. 

“Aston Martin’s agreement with Formula 1 to provide the official FIA safety and medical car concluded at the end of the 2025 season,” the automaker said. “Having amplified the brand’s return to F1, we are grateful for the association and success of holding this critical role on the grid for the past five years.” 

With Aston Martin no longer providing either car to Formula 1, it’s understood Mercedes will now bring its 730-hp AMG GT Black Series to all 24 rounds of the 2026 season, as well as its medical car based on the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+.

German ex-racer Bernd Maylander has been serving as the FIA’s safety car driver since 2000.

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– The Autosport.com Team