F1 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Controversial £600,000 car for SALE

The safety car from the controversial 2021 F1 season finale that saw Lewis Hamilton lose out to Max Verstappen is up for sale, with an asking price of almost £600,000.

The 2021 F1 season was one of the most exciting seasons in modern F1 history, with seven-time world champion Hamilton and young Red Bull star Verstappen involved in a fiercely-fought championship battle.

Hamilton was a long way behind the Dutchman midway through the season, but a late flurry of race victories meant he found himself level on points heading into the final race of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Brit then led this race for the majority of the event, and looked set to take home a record-breaking eighth world championship title, before late controversy saw Verstappen get ahead and win his maiden championship title at the age of 24.

It was the result of a controversial decision by then-race director Michael Masi to let some lapped cars overtake a late safety car following a Nicholas Latifi crash. This put Verstappen, who had gambled with a late pit stop and changed for some fresh tyres, directly behind Hamilton.

Red Bull's gamble paid off, and Verstappen won the title on the last lap of the last race of the season, sparking emotional scenes.

Masi left his role as race director in the aftermath of that race after what proved to be a misinterpretation of the rules, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently called Masi a 'lunatic'.

Now, the Aston Martin Vantage - which served as the safety car during the 2021 season and during the Abu Dhabi GP - is up for sale.

The used car is for sale on AutoTrader for £599,990, with Aston Martin Leeds being the lucky branch who currently hold the car.

The Vantage SC02 model appeared at 20 grands prix between 2021 and 2023, totalling 4280km across track tests and race deployments for F1, F2, F3 and other support series, according to the advert.

READ MORE: Six laps and home - How Aston Martin called time early on F1 testing nightmare

Who is supplying the F1 safety car in 2026?

Since 2021, the role of providing the F1 safety car has been shared between Mercedes and Aston Martin, with the two car manufacturers offering out a Vantage S and an AMG GT Black Series respectively in 2025.

However, Aston Martin recently revealed that their contract with F1 ended in 2025, and that they would not be renewing their deal to supply both safety cars and medical cars to the sport.

Instead, Mercedes will be the sole supplier of safety and medical cars from the 2026 season onwards.

The F1 safety car has been a permanent fixture of F1 since 1993, with German racing legend Bernd Maylander having driven it for over 25 years now, starting the role back in 2000.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen says F1's new cars are the worst and now he's just a manager

Related