Max Verstappen openly criticized Aston Martin\’s safety car, which was used during the Australian Grand Prix. The reigning world champ remarked that the safety car was as slow as a turtle. On Thursday, F1 authorities defended Aston Martin\’s safety car. The governing body reminded the drivers that a safety car\’s top speed is not the primary concern. Mercedes and Aston Martin provide safety and medical cars during the Grand Prix events. The two marques and the German driver Bernd Maylander share the safety role.
The FIA issued a statement stating that the safety car\’s primary function is to ensure the safety of drivers, officials, and marshals. The F1 authority pointed out that the top speed of a safe car is of secondary importance.
After Sunday\’s race at the Albert Park Circuit, Red Bull\’s Verstappen shared that Aston Martin\’s V8 vantage with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo engine lapped very slowly. As a result, the tires of newly developed F1 cars went stone cold. Moreover, Max added that Aston Matin\’s car needs more grip and the Mercedes safety car is much faster due to extra aero. The Mercedes-AMG GT Black series was deployed in Bahrain and Jeddah. The Mercedes safety car produces around 730bhp compared to Aston Martin\’s 528bhp. Mercedes\’ George Russell also remarked that Mercedes\’ safety car is around five seconds per lap than Aston Martin.
FIA Justifies The Slowness Of Aston Martin Safet Car:
The FIA authorities told that the safety procedures take multiple factors into account. The need to bunch up the field and adjust the pace according to the recovery process were the factors mentioned by FIA. Further, the FIA mentioned the race director generally determines a safety car\’s speed. And the designated speed is not limited to the cars\’ capabilities.
The 2022 Drivers rankings leader Charles Leclerc said that he wanted to complain before noticing the safety car sliding in the corner. He felt there was nothing more the safety car\’s driver could have done. However, Charles said it is hard to keep the tire temperatures in the newest F1 cars behind the safety cars. The newest Formula one cars have been prepared as per the FIA\’s latest regulations.
The FIA specified the impact of a safety car\’s speed on the performance of competing cars is a secondary consideration. Meanwhile, the F1 authorities added, \”the impact is equal amongst all competitors, who are responsible for driving in a safe manner at all times.\”