Aston Martin has announced it will no longer supply Safety Cars to Formula 1, with Mercedes once again the sole supplier.
Signing a five-year deal in 2021, Aston Martin shared the supply with Mercedes when it debuted, breaking the Silver Arrows’ monopoly, with a new name at the front of F1 when races were neutralised.
However, the car gained a reputation for all the wrong reasons at the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, as it became apparent the car had an inherent flaw.
The specially tuned F1 Edition of the Vantage was weighty and looked cumbersome as it lapped the circuit, a whopping 200bhp slower than its Mercedes counterpart.
Drawing the ire of drivers up and down the grid, Max Verstappen confirmed after the race he had been driving at 87mph down the pit straight, and demanded an urgent investigation.
Aston Martin made urgent changes to the car, which never drove as slowly as it did in Melbourne again, becoming a common sight in modern F1.
Confirming the move in a statement, Aston Martin confirmed the deal ran to its full length and would bot be renewed.
“concluded at the end of the 2025 season” but underlined that it had been beneficial during Aston Martin’s first years back on the grid.
“Having amplified the brand’s return to F1, we are grateful for the association and success of holding this critical role on the grid for the past five years.”
Mercedes now resumes its monopoly, having run Safety Cars for F1 since 1996, when it became the exclusive supplier, using a modified C36 AMG.
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