AMG GT R Is the Perfect Formula 1 Safety Car
Designated F1 safety driver Bernd Mayländer shares with Automobile the thrills of being the support driver for the world’s fastest cars.
Compared to the action on the track, the Formula 1 safety car is generally an afterthought. After a crash or bad weather, it leads the pack during a time where the drivers would rather be going flat-out. And for spectators, when the safety car hits the track, it’s time to go to the concession stand or the fridge. If you were too distracted by Lewis Hamilton bringing home another title for Mercedes-Benz, you might have missed the 2018 season’s safety car: A Mercedes-AMG GT R.
Yes, Mercedes’ supercar can more than hold its own on the track, but in the F1 world, it’s in a support role. And recently, Automobile had the chance to sit down with Bernd Mayländer, F1’s designated GT R driver, and talk about what it’s like driving the support vehicle for some of the fastest cars in the world.
So Much More Than a Pace Car
From the outset, it’s clear that Mayländer is no lightweight. He’s been connected to Mercedes for 29 years, and that includes time behind the wheel of its iconic DTM cars of the ’90s. Today, he still participates in some historic DTM races. But back in 1999, he was racing for Porsche when Formula 1 asked him to drive the safety car. Now, 20 years later, he’s still at it.
Mayländer also drives the point home that driving the safety car is by no means a ceremonial job. Speed and skill is required to get out in front of some of the fastest cars ever built. “In a race you try to be at 99.9 percent,” he says. “In a safety car you’re at 95 to 98 percent. In a race car you’re trying to win a race, you’re really fighting for something. In a safety car, I’m not fighting for anything—I just fight to stay on the track and make things safer.”
Understandably, he says the hardest part of the job is turning off race mode once you get in your car to go home at the end of the day. “that’s the most dangerous moment,” he says, “because you’re still in race-car mode.” There are other dangers as well. For example, he drove for Mercedes in the 2018 Mille Miglia in a 1929 SSK roadster. When he got in his car to go home (an AMG E-Class, in case you were wondering), he: “touched the brake and hit my head on the steering wheel! I thought, I guess these brakes are working. The brakes on the old car were so soft and long [in travel]!”
So the F1 safety driver’s job, is dangerous, important, and very fast. The perks sound pretty good too. The 2019 season may still be over a month away, but this year, be sure to keep an eye out for Mayländer and his silver GT R.
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