Gallery: History of safety cars in Formula 1
The safety car made its first appearance in a Formula 1 race back in 1973, but it wasn't until the Canadian Grand Prix in 1993 that it was officially introduced by the sport.
Between 1993-96, individual race organisers were responsible for supplying safety cars, leading to some strange choices. However, this practice ended in 1997 when F1 handed Mercedes a contract to become F1's official safety car partner - and the German manufacturer continues to supply safety cars to the series till date.
Check out our gallery below to rediscover some of the safety cars that have been used in F1 over the years.
Porsche 914 (Canada 1973)
Photo by: David Phipps
Porsche (Monaco 1976)
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Lamborghini Countach (Monaco 1981, 1982, 1983)
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch
Lamborghini Countach (Monaco 1981, 1982, 1983)
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch
Fiat Tempra 16V (Brazil 1993)
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Opel Vectra (San Marino 1994)
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Honda Prelude (Japan 1994)
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Porsche 911 GT2 (Belgium 1995)
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Cette année-là, une Lamborghini Diablo rouge vif avait été prévue lors du GP du Canada, mais n'est pas sortie en piste.
Renault Clio (Argentina 1996)
Mercedes C 36 AMG (1996-97)
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Mercedes CLK 55 AMG (1997-98)
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Mercedes CL 55 AMG (1999-2000)
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Mercedes SL 55 AMG (2001-02)
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Mercedes CLK 55 AMG (2003)
Photo by: Lyndon McNeil
Mercedes SLK 55 AMG (2004-05)
Photo by: Sutton Images
Mercedes CLK 63 AMG (2006-07)
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Mercedes SL 63 AMG (2008-09)
Photo by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch
Mercedes SLS AMG (2010-2014)
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
Mercedes-AMG GT S (2015-2017)
Photo by: Mirko Stange
Mercedes AMG GT R (since 2018)
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Author | Fabien Gaillard |
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