New Mercedes AMG GT S Safety Car revealed for 2015

2015 F1 season

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Formula One won’t just have a new Virtual Safety Car in 2015 – the Safety Car itself is being replaced with a new model.

The Mercedes AMG GT S will replace the SLS AMG GT which has been in use since mid-2012. The twin-turbo V8-engined GT S produces 510bhp, which is around 80bhp less than its predecessor.

Former DTM driver Bernd Maylander will remain at the wheel.

Mercedes has been the official supplier of F1’s Safety Car since 1996, when a C36 AMG was the model of choice.

However the introduction of the Virtual Safety Car this year may mean the actual Safety Car makes fewer appearances.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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37 comments on “New Mercedes AMG GT S Safety Car revealed for 2015”

  1. That’s at least one real mean looking car on the grid.

  2. i find it kinda blend. dont like it and the silver is so plain boring

  3. I thought Mercedes would try a to use a hybrid or electric for marketing purposes.

    1. The safety car has to be safe and dependable and an electric drive train in guaranteed, tested and dependable form is some way off in their performance cars. Hybrid isn’t yet a safety feature.

  4. I love the medical car

  5. No doubt it’ll be the best sounding car on the grid this year

    1. @bookerdewitt Unless there’s a rainy start it won’t be on the grid.

      The best sounding car there would be the medical car.

      1. Ah, good point. Loved the sound of the Merc last year

    2. You can hear it over the F1 cars. Who would have ever thought it?

      1. At Montreal last year, the best sounds came (roughly in order) from the AMG medical & safety cars, Ferrari Challenge, the CTCC Civics and Minis, and (last and very sadly) the blubbering F1 motorboats.

      2. I though that was often the case- the more bassy sound could be heard ‘under’ the V8s and maybe even V10s.

        1. @matt90

          Not at any GP I’ve been to. My experience (37 races) would be that at the race start, the full field of F1 cars would rush past the stunned spectators, leaving the scarcely believable scream of their glorious engines in the air. Just as everyone was beginning to come to their senses, the medical car would burble past, sounding indeed bassy but almost silent in comparison. Believe me, there was NO chance of hearing it while an F1 car was running.

          That was the old ‘shock and awe’ of F1. Gone, but not forgotten, at least to some……:)

  6. The skew decals on the bonnet…

  7. Beautiful looking safety car. My bet is that’s it’s quicker than the Mclaren as well ;)

    1. In the wet its been known that the F1 cars really couldn’t keep up in the corners and the lead driver had to make a call for him to slow down as he could drop back too far.

      Can’t remember which race it was

      1. I dont believe that.

      2. It’s to be expected. It goes too slow to generate downforce and heat in the tyres. You often hear the drivers complaining it needs to go faster so they can get done heat in the tyres.

  8. Looking quite Porsche-like from the rear tbh

    1. That was my first thought too… Surely it wasn’t their intention to make people think of Porsches!

    2. @john-h @bullfrog Meanwhile, over at Daimler and VW’s meeting on how much Porsche is worth……….

    3. and a Volvo from the front

  9. Still faster than HRT…

  10. it has a sort of dodge viper look from first quarter, and the rear looks porsche like. it is a lot uglier(too me) then both those legendary sports cars, and i have never liked the big merc grill on their sports cars, it better suits their luxury cars. atleast the sound is good for the audience, much more interesting then the actual f1 race cars now.

  11. Meh, boring. I would prefer an Italian sports car as a safety car.

  12. What was wrong with the old one? Or did it get changed just for the sake of it?

    1. Marketing, they don’t make the SLS any more.

    2. The SLS is discontinued. This is its replacement.

    3. I was just about to ask that :)

  13. Why do I always associate AMG Mercs with waywardness? Oh yes, it’s because I popped a rented C63 in the wall on a trackday in Atlanta a couple of years ago…

    And doesn’t this give Mercedes preferential treatment? A nice Huayra or Aventador would be much more third party…

    1. Oooooops
      Hope your insurance was comprehensive?

      Or are you still eating beans paying it off ? :) @countrygent

      1. Beans I’m afraid. I have a racing license, have driven racetracks all over the world, and in my arrogance thought I didn’t need insurance. I was wrong…

  14. Former DTM driver Bernd Maylander will remain at the wheel.

    This guy has been at the wheel of the safety car for 15 years now (since 2000), and I don’t ever recall him making any serious mistake, which is impressive, as he goes at nearly full speed of the car’s potential.

    1. I’ve always found it crazy how slow it looks on TV when in actual fact it’s hammering it a hell of a lot faster than I could lap.

      1. Or how tiny and low the F1 cars are to it

    2. Out of curiosity, does anyone know if the safety and medical car drivers get to do any practise laps?

  15. flatdarkmars
    9th March 2015, 23:17

    A retrospective on F1 Safety Cars through the years would make for an interesting feature.

  16. Paul Crowther
    23rd March 2015, 18:45

    Please can you tell me how much of 2015 FI car is new for the Mercedes team.

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