• Aston Martin is rumoured to supply the Formula 1 safety and medical cars in 2021
• If true, Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG will share duties next year.
• Lawrence Stroll, Racing Point owner, owns 25% of the British marque.
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Barely 48 hours ago, rumours from 'authoritative sources' claimed that Aston Martin would provide the safety and medical cars for most of the races in 2021. This comes as quite a shock, seeing that Mercedes-Benz has been the official supplier of these cars for the last 24 years. To a degree, we should probably not be too shocked, especially because a certain Mr Lawrence Stroll is in the picture.
Stroll, in 2018, purchased the financially burdened Force India team and renamed it to Racing Point for the 2019 season. The team performed admirably in its first full season under the new name and turned up the wick in 2020. So much so that the team is competing for third place in the Constructors' championship. But Stroll, ever the businessman, acquired a 25% stake in Aston Martin earlier this year and will rename his team (again) to Aston Martin Racing in 2021.
With his son, Lance, and four-time champion and departing Ferrari driver, Sebastian Vettel, signed to the team for next year, Stroll is looking to assert his team in the championship fight.
And the safety car business?
Stroll may only involve with F1 for a few years - hell, not even five years! - but he has already established himself as an influential figure in the paddock. He understands the business world and the intricacies of negotiation. Even more, Stroll understands the positive impact F1 can have on any business.
Since 1994, Mercedes-Benz has been supplying the sport with its safety and medical cars. These have become essential parts of every F1 season and an excellent platform for the German automaker to showcase its halo sports cars. Globally, the current safety car, the AMG GT R, is not only respected and loved for its performance credentials, but it also piques interest because its the vehicle that leads some of the world's fastest racing cars around the track in the event of an incident.
Do you think it's a smart move for Formula 1 to have Aston Martin taking over safety car duties? Email us with your opinion.
This is powerful brand exposure, and exactly why Stroll wants Aston Martin to fulfil that role. According to the sources, Aston Martin will supply the safety and medical cars to 12 of next year's 23 races, with Mercedes-AMG providing the service at the remaining 11. Though an official announcement is expected, it is believed that the Aston Martin DBX will be the medical car, while the Vantage, DB11, or DBS Superleggera could act as the safety car.
Interestingly, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz's parent company, owns a 20% stake in Aston Martin, so expect this rumour to carry a lot of weight.
