Mercedes has officially announced it will provide the safety and medical cars for every Formula 1 race in 2026, as well as pre-season testing in Bahrain. This marks the end of its shared role with Aston Martin and celebrates the 30th anniversary of the partnership. Safety car driver Bernd Mayländer will reach a milestone of 500 grands prix during the season.
Mercedes-AMG has confirmed its exclusive responsibility for supplying the Official FIA F1 Safety Car and Medical Car throughout the 2026 season. The arrangement includes all race weekends and the pre-season tests at the Bahrain International Circuit, scheduled for February 11-13 and 18-20.
Since 2022, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series has served as the safety car, while the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ has been the medical car. These vehicles also support Formula 2, Formula 3, and other series, with maintenance handled by Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach.
The 2026 season will highlight key milestones for Mercedes in F1. It commemorates the 30th anniversary of providing safety cars, starting with the 1996 French Grand Prix. Additionally, Bernd Mayländer, the safety car driver since 2000, will achieve his 500th grand prix in Melbourne at the Australian Grand Prix, the season opener from March 6-8.
Mercedes celebrated its 500th race as safety car provider last year in Austin. Over the years, 13 models have been used as safety cars and eight as medical cars.
"Safety is an absolutely central value of our brand and our products," said Christoph Sagemüller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. "That is why we have been providing the Official FIA F1 Safety and Medical Car in Formula 1 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, Formula 1 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."
This full-time role follows the conclusion of Aston Martin's contract alongside Mercedes at the end of 2025.
