Mercedes in sole 2026 F1 safety car duties amid team withdrawal

Sam Cook Sunday 1 February 2026 17:00

Verstappen behind Safety Car at Spa in 2021

Mercedes will be the only car brand supplying F1 with safety cars and medical cars in 2026.

Since 2021, Mercedes have shared duties with Aston Martin, alternating grand prix weekends throughout the course of the contract.

However, following the end of their contract at the end of the 2025 season, Aston Martin confirmed that they would no longer be offering up their services as a safety car and medical car provider, opting not to extend their contract.

That left question marks over who would be supplying them, but Mercedes have now confirmed in a statement that they will be the sole supplier of the F1 safety cars and medical cars at all grand prix weekends in 2026, as well as in Bahrain for the pre-season testing events.

2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Mercedes' association with the F1 safety car, with a Mercedes first being used for the job at the 1996 French Grand Prix.

"That is why we have been providing the official FIA F1 safety and medical car in F1 since 1996.

"From the 2026 season onwards, the FIA F1 official cars will once again bear the star at all F1 events.

"In this way, we will continue to make an active contribution to safety in the premier class of motorsport.

"For Mercedes-AMG, F1 is not only a sporting platform, but also an environment in which the performance, reliability, and safety of our vehicles become visible under extreme conditions."

Who drives the F1 safety car?

Bernd Maylander has been the F1 safety car driver since 2000, and is still going strong at the age of 54.

In 2026, Maylander will pass a significant milestone, making it to 500 grands prix as the official safety car driver, a remarkable statistic.

The German previously raced in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) during his racing career, and finished second in his class at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race back in 1999.

F1 Mercedes Aston Martin safety car