Aston Martin recently pulled the covers off its new Vantage, and now it's ready to take centre stage on the Formula One circuit as the official safety car of the series. It's the fourth year that the Vantage has been used as a safety car, alternating safety car duties with the Mercedes-AMG GT, and it has been given a comprehensive update with the arrival of the new roadgoing model.
Enhanced aerodynamic package
As with the updated production model, the safety car's twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine has been boosted to make 665hp and 800Nm, but the standard powertrain and cooling system has been retained with no modifications needed for track use. It's a similar story with the braking system, which is also identical to the road car's.
There have been aerodynamic upgrades, though. The safety car features an extended front splitter, a modified floor and a new rear wing with built-in 'Gurney flap' that's mounted in a new position to help boost high-speed downforce. The flashing light bar on the roof has also been wind tunnel tested to ensure it cuts through the air efficiently. The exterior updates are completed by the paintjob, which mirrors that of the Aston Martin F1 cars driven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Race seats and more screens
Inside, the standard road car seats are replaced by a pair of Pole Position race seats, while the bespoke centre console has been fitted with the switchgear needed to communicate with the FIA's electronic systems, and includes screens that show live lap times, the position of every car on the circuit and a permanent rear-view camera. While the dashboard gets unique electronics, there's still a dash of Aston Martin style on board, with lime green trim dotted around the cockpit as a nod to Aston's racing colours.
As well as providing a new safety car, Aston Martin will once again provide a DBX707 SUV as medical car on weekends that the Vantage is in action. Both cars will make their debut at the second round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 9 March.
Speaking at the Vantage's unveiling, Marco Mattiacci, Global Chief Brand and Commercial Officer of Aston Martin, said: "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. 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's on track but also two of our most exciting performance models, Vantage and the award-winning DBX707."
The Aston Martin Vantage safety car will be driven by Bernd Maylander, who commented: "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. 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."
Roberto Fedeli, Group Chief Technology Officer of Aston Martin, added: "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 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 racetrack and showcase the capabilities of our newest ultra-luxury high-performance car."