New Aston Martin Vantage named as F1 Official FIA Safety Car

MANILA: Aston Martin announced that the latest iteration of the Vantage nameplate has been named the Official Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Safety Car of Formula 1.

This weekend, the pack of 20 Formula 1 cars will be led on the formation lap by a specially equipped version of the Aston Martin Vantage. Should circumstances require the Official FIA Safety Car to intervene and control the pace of the race, the souped-up sports car will be ready to roar into action.

“Vantage is the very essence of the Aston Martin brand, so to see the fastest, most driver-focused Vantage yet play such an important role in the prestigious FIA Formula One World Championship is a source of great pride for us,” Aston Martin Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer Marco Mattiacci stated.

“For brand awareness, there is no global, high-octane sporting series that can match F1. Building on the natural synergies between the sport and Aston Martin, racing fans will not only see the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team AMR24 on track but also two of our most exciting performance models, Vantage and the award-winning DBX707,” he added.

Powering the Aston Martin Vantage Official FIA Safety Car is a potent, hand-built 4.0 twin-turbo V8 engine. Compared to its predecessor, the new Vantage boasts 30 percent more power — ensuring the two-door coupe is quick off the line, every time.

Aston Martin pointed out that such is the performance of the new road-going Vantage, it required no engine upgrade, no changes to its cooling system, and no upgrade in braking performance to adapt it for its role as an Official FIA Safety Car.

“It is a pleasure to drive the Aston Martin Vantage. The car comes from an incredible bloodline and this newest version is the fastest yet. My first impressions were very positive as I could immediately feel the improvement in handling and, of course, power,” explained FIA Safety Car Driver Bernd Mayländer.

“We need a car that is fast and focused so we can respond quickly and safely when we receive the call for on-track deployment and Vantage provides that. I have enjoyed driving Vantage during the past three seasons and I’m happy to now be one of the first to drive the new Vantage and experience its full performance pedigree on the world’s greatest circuits,” he added.

Part of the modifications implemented on the new Aston Martin Vantage prior to donning the role of Official FIA Safety Car include underfloor aerodynamics, an extended and profiled front splitter, a new rear wing with a tuned Gurney, an FIA lightbar with new aero-profiling, and quick-cool tires.

Inside, the new Aston Martin Vantage Official FIA Safety Car gets Pole Position Seats, a bespoke center console with switchgear to work the FIA systems, and screens showing live lap times, the track positioning of all of the cars, and a rear-view camera. And as a nod to the marque’s racing colors, the vehicle’s cabin is finished with a unique Lime Essence trim.

“Every thought, every idea, every piece of technology, and every stroke of the designer’s pen that went into Vantage can now be enjoyed by the fans of F1. This new car is already the fastest and most driver-focused Vantage yet, which makes it perfect for this unique job so to turn it into an Official FIA Safety Car of Formula 1 was primarily a task of adding all of the FIA equipment. Of course, it has additional aero not found on the road car to make sure it can attack the race track and showcase the capabilities of our newest ultra-luxury high-performance car,” Aston Martin Group Chief Technology Officer Roberto Fedeli commented.

The Aston Martin Vantage Official FIA Safety Car will make its debut this weekend at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Photos from Aston Martin

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