Mercedes-Benz AMG's back on F1 duty

click to enlarge

Merc AMG's have been doing duty safety and medical duties at F1 events for the past 12 years.

The safety car moves into action when the race is threatened by accidents or when adverse weather conditions or other hazardous situations arise.

Piloted by Bernd Mayländer, the safety car goes to the head of the field and safely guides the world's fastest racing drivers around the circuit. Fast lap times are a must for the safety car, because otherwise the sensitive Formula 1 engines would overheat and their tyres and brakes would cool down excessively.

click to enlarge

This year's safety car is the SL 63 AMG high-performance roadster, which was presented to the public just a few days ago at the Geneva Motor Show.

Powered by a 6.3-litre V8 engine that produces 386kW this AMG bullets from zero to 100km/h in just 4.6 seconds.

The centre console in the safety car is equipped with two monitors for supervising the action on the racetrack, and the two-way radio system allows the crew of the safety car to remain in contact with the race management.

click to enlarge

Alongside the SL 63 AMG safety car, a second AMG high-performance automobile will celebrate its premiere at this season's first Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia: the C 63 AMG Estate medical car.

At the start of every Grand Prix, the high-speed AMG estate car follows the Formula 1 field on the first lap. This is because the first lap represents a critical phase of the race in which the field is especially tightly bunched.

In the event of an accident during the race, the medical car is the first vehicle on the scene and is able to provide the fastest possible emergency treatment.

click to enlarge

This quite special C 63 AMG Estate has excellent credentials for such a challenging task, where literally every second counts: the high-performance estate vehicle is powered by the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine, which delivers 336kW and 600Nm.

Like the safety car, the medical car, too, draws attention to its special role on the track through its F1 logos, roof bar and strobe-like LED flashlights at front and rear.

The medical car will be driven by Dr. Jacques Tropenat (France), who is a medic and amateur race driver. His co-driver is Dr. Gary Hartstein (Belgium), who is the official FIA Grand Prix Chief Medical Officer.

Both of them are accommodated in AMG sports bucket seats with 4-point seatbelts, as are the two medical assistants in the rear.

Two monitors in the centre console help the crew to supervise the action on the racetrack, while an on-board two-way radio system is responsible for communication with the race management.

The medical car's complement of emergency equipment includes a defibrillator and respirator.