Racing to the Rescue
Mercedes-Benz has supplied key emergency vehicles to Formula 1 for two decades
Article John Chuhran
Images Daimler Global Media
The words, “Motor racing is dangerous,” appear in fine print on the back of almost every ticket to every automobile race, though most people never notice them. Danger will probably always be part of motorsports, but safety experts continuously work to mitigate the risk. In Formula One, Mercedes-Benz plays an active role in keeping drivers safe. Spectators can’t help but notice the safety car that leads racecars around the track during caution periods and the medical-car station wagon that joins the back of the grid just before the start of every race. Since 1995, Mercedes-Benz has provided both of these cars for the most sophisticated form of racing in the world.
The GT S F1 Safety Car and C63 S Medical Emergency Car
Bernd Mayländer, driver of the Safety Car
Background
Safety was not always a priority in Formula 1. Accidents causing injury and death to both competitors and onlookers were commonplace from the series’ inception in 1950 through the 1970s. Beginning in 1966, Jackie Stewart, who saw 57 fellow competitors perish during his 11-year professional career, led a media crusade for safety improvements in tracks, cars and race procedures.
However, it was a series of horrific fatal crashes seen live on international television – Lorenzo Bandini at Monaco in 1967, Jochen Rindt at Monza in 1970 and Roger Williamson, trapped in burning wreckage for more than eight minutes at Zandvoort in 1973 – that prompted the sport’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), to authorize a safety car for emergency use. A safety car was first deployed at the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix.
Then in 1978, following a similar series of horrific crashes, the FIA established a safety commission headed by neurosurgeon “Professor” Sid Watkins. Among other recommendations, the commission mandated that medical cars carrying doctors and emergency supplies be on standby at each race to provide rapid response to accidents, with one following the cars on the first lap.
These precautions proved quite useful, but a life-threatening accident during qualifying laps at the Australian Grand Prix in 1995 involving McLaren-Mercedes driver Mika Häkkinen provided the impetus to create the policies in use today. Hitting a piece of debris and crashing into a concrete retaining wall, Häkkinen was knocked unconscious with a fractured skull and blocked airway. Watkins, by then chief medical officer for F1, was in the medical car and on the scene within 20 seconds. Despite difficulty finding the necessary supplies in the unfamiliar medical car provided by the local race promoter, Watkins managed to restart Häkkinen’s heart twice and performed an emergency tracheotomy even before the driver was extracted from his car. Four months later, Häkkinen was testing the 1996 car in preparation for the new season.
FIA policies subsequently were changed at Watkins’s recommendations and proposals were requested from automobile manufacturers to supply, modify and maintain standard safety and medical cars that would be used at every race. Executives at Mercedes-Benz understood the importance of the safety and medical cars, and recognized the prestige of supplying them to F1. After an open-bidding process, the FIA accepted the firm’s proposal for the 1996 season. Mercedes-Benz has supplied the cars ever since. To make sure that safety is never compromised at any Grand Prix, Mercedes-AMG provides two identical examples of each model type and two mechanics dedicated to ensuring they’re always ready.
Having introduced the new Mercedes-AMG GT S and C63 S Estate models in 2015 for the safety and medical cars, which proved to be durable, reliable and safe with excellent performance, the company will supply the same models again in 2016. The Mercedes-AMG also provides GT S safety cars and C63 S medical cars in the same specifications for use at DTM (German Touring Car Masters) races.
Mercedes 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S safety car is equipped with all the performance modifications available to a production car buyer.
F1 safety car
Since 2000, Bernd Mayländer, a 44-year-old German and former sports car driver, has driven the safety car at every F1 race. Mayländer – who has won races for Mercedes-AMG in the DTM and the FIA GT championships, instructs for the AMG Driving Academy and is also an active Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador – discussed the role of the safety car and its specifications in an extended interview published on the Mercedes-AMG F1 website in 2015.
The safety car, he explained, must be ready for deployment at any time that the race marshals determine that a race’s speed must be reduced for safety, such as when an accident has occurred, there is debris on the track or track-surface conditions are unsafe.
To be effective, the car must be capable of quick acceleration from its standby position at the head of the pit lane when Mayländer gets the “Safety car, go!” command. Maneuvering to take position ahead of the lead car, he must then maintain a high top speed, braking and cornering at a pace that won’t cause the racecars to overheat or lose tire and brake temperatures. All of this must be done while carrying both Mayländer and FIA official Peter Tibbetts.
Once deployed, Mayländer focuses on the racetrack while establishing a consistent pace for the F1 field behind him. Tibbetts keeps in contact with race control by radio and communicates with Mayländer by intercom, monitoring two high-resolution screens that show the GPS-transponder position and speed of every car on the track, the current marshaling flag and light signals, as well as a medical-alert light that flashes if a crash has occurred at high g-force levels likely to cause serious racer injury.
The Mercedes-AMG GT S approved for use in 2015 to replace the SLS AMG used since 2010 is in production configuration, though it includes all available performance options. The front mid-engine layout with 53 percent rear-weight distribution, lightweight aluminum body and chassis, low center of gravity and double wishbone suspension required few modifications. The safety car is equipped with the optional Dynamic Plus performance package, including stiffer springs and shock absorbers, increased negative camber for the front axle and an adaptable, speed-sensitive steering system. Race-quality bucket seats and six-point seat belts are provided for both driver and passenger.
Power comes from the hand-built, twin-turbo, fuel-injected, 4-liter M178 V-8 engine producing 510 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, though the exhaust system is tuned for performance and is not street-legal. Combined with the standard AMG SpeedShift dual-clutch 7-speed rear transaxle and optional Dynamic Plus powertrain package with dynamic engine and transmission mounts and performance-mode engine and transmission mapping, the GT S leaps from standby position to 60 mph on the track in just 3.7 seconds.
For handling and adhesion, the safety car has optional AMG lightweight cross-spoke forged wheels and high-performance tires. High-performance ceramic composite brakes provide lower weight, longer service life and better fade resistance in demanding conditions.
The external appearance of the safety car is identical to the production Mercedes-AMG GT S except for the Formula 1 stickers, the externally mounted TV cameras and a carbon-fiber air scoop and light bar on the roof. The colors of the lights signal the drivers: Orange means no passing and green means the safety car may be passed to allow lapped cars to move behind the race leaders. When the race restarts, the lights turn off to signal that the safety car will leave the track at the pit-lane entrance.
The safety car is the first car on the track every morning, before the beginning and at the end of every race, and at other times as necessary, to relay track conditions back to the safety marshals to make sure every foot of the track is as safe as possible.
2016 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate (S205) medical car combines speed, handling and braking with the medical supplies to handle most emergencies.
F-1 medical car
The team in the medical car faces different challenges. The medical car is currently driven by Alan van der Merwe, who also has DTM and GT racing experience, with Dr. Ian Roberts, who became FIA medical rescue coordinator in 2013, in the front-passenger seat. A doctor and an anesthetist from the local hospital to which drivers would be evacuated – if necessary – ride in the back seats to provide medical assistance on the scene as well as critical knowledge of local facilities and staff. In addition, the car is loaded with emergency medical equipment and supplies.
The medical car is stationed trackside at all times when racecars are on the track during practice, qualifying and race sessions. It can be seen at the start of the race moving into position at the back of the racing grid just before the lights go green signaling the start of the race. Then it follows the field during the first lap.
Roberts is in constant communication with race-control marshals, with the same screens and telemetry information as in the safety car, including the medical-warning light, in front of him. If a serious collision occurs during the critical first lap of the race – the most frequent time for accidents – the medical car can be on the scene in seconds. Once the immediate threat of a crash has passed, the medical car heads to the pit lane to a position alongside the safety car.
If an accident with likely injury occurs during a track session, the medical car will be deployed, with a specific procedure for approaching a crash scene. When it reaches that location, the car pulls up to a safe point and Roberts makes a rapid assessment of the situation. The radio system allows him to listen to what the driver is saying, which can help him determine if the driver is okay. When immediate involvement is not required, the medical car continues on, exiting the track at the next opportunity and taking up its position at the head of pit lane.
In terms of performance, the medical car must be capable of staying as close to the racecars as possible during the first lap, in part to ensure it is able to leave the track before the lead car overtakes it. Moreover, in the event of an accident during the race, it often must be able to get to the accident scene as quickly as possible, which sometimes requires overtaking the safety car. As Roberts says, “Anyone who gets in this car for the first time is amazed at what it can do.”
As with the safety cars, the newest medical cars were introduced in 2015. Currently, Mercedes-Benz supplies Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estates (station wagons, a body configuration not currently available in North America) in near-production configuration with all available high-performance options.
The hand-built 4-liter biturbo V-8 engine produces 510 horsepower, with peak torque of 516.3 pound feet – more than the safety car – to compensate for the heavier load it carries. The AMG Speedshift 7-speed multiclutch transmission, dynamic engine mounts and electronic rear-axle differential lock are the same as those on the production version. The car is fitted with optional high-performance AMG wheels and tires and ceramic composite brakes. The optional AMG Ride Control suspension has been modified to handle the weight of four passengers and medical equipment.
Equipped in a similar manner to the safety car, the medical car is also fitted with an LED light bar on the roof and taillights with added signaling functions to alert race drivers that the vehicle is stopped and emergency personnel might be on the track. Four special sports bucket seats with six-point safety belts are fitted for the occupants. The spacious 17.3 cubic feet of available storage space in the Estate’s luggage compartment safely accommodates medical-emergency equipment, which includes a defibrillator, respirator, ventilator, vital-signs monitor, laryngoscope, burn gels and dressings, as well as a combat-application tourniquet, equipment for on-site emergency surgery, and an extraction kit containing lifting straps and head supports.
Stewart, who is still actively promoting motorsports safety, commented recently on the genesis of current policies. “For 26 years, Dr. Sid Watkins’s efforts were absolutely transforming in terms of safety procedures,” Stewart said. “He led the fight for standardized procedures, safety cars and medical cars, and that has saved lives. But nobody should ever forget that any race driver is always just a mechanical failure or a tiny error away from paying the ultimate price. We should never, ever believe that safety has ceased to be a priority.”
That’s a philosophy embraced by Mercedes-Benz, which first began safety research for vehicles 77 years ago and has been an innovator ever since.
Mercedes-Benz F1 Emergency Vehicles
SAFETY CARS
1996 C36 AMG (W202)
1997-1999 CLK55 AMG (C208)
2000 CL55 AMG (C215)
2001-2002 SL55 AMG (R230)
2003 CLK55 AMG (C209)
2004-2005 SL55 AMG (R171)
2006-2007 CLK63 AMG (C209)
2008-2009 SL63 AMG (R230)
2010-2012 SLS AMG (C197)
2012-2015 SLS AMG GT (C197)
2015-2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S (C190)
MEDICAL CARS
1996 C36 AMG (W202)
1997 C36 AMG (W202) & E60 AMG (W210)
1998-2000 C55 AMG Estate (S202)
2001-2003 C32 AMG Estate (S203)
2004-2007 C55 AMG Estate (S203)
2008-2014 C63 AMG Estate (S204)
2015-2016 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate (S205)
F1 MEDICAL CAR
2016 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate (S205)
TYPE: Four-door, four-passenger station wagon
ENGINE: AMG-built 4.0-liter biturbo V-8
TRANSMISSION: AMG Speedshift 7-speed multiclutch technology (MCT), electronically controlled limited-slip differential
HORSEPOWER: 503 @ 5,500 rpm TORQUE: 516 lb-ft @ 1,750 rpm
OPTIONS: Dynamic engine mounts, electronic-locking rear differential, ceramic brakes (402mm diameter front, 360mm rear)
WHEELS AND TIRES: Front – 8.5x19 rims, 245/35 R19 tires; Rear – 9.5x20 rims, 265/35 R20 tires
LENGTH: 188 in CURB WEIGHT: 3,935 lb
ACCELERATION: Zero-60 mph 3.9 sec TOP SPEED: 180 mph
F1 SAFETY CAR
2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S (C190)
TYPE: Two-door, two-passenger sports coupe
ENGINE: AMG-built 4.0-liter biturbo V-8
TRANSMISSION: AMG Speedshift dual-clutch (DCT) 7-speed rear transaxle, electronically controlled limited-slip differential
HORSEPOWER: 510 @ 6,250 rpm TORQUE: 479 lb-ft @ 1,750 rpm
OPTIONS: Dynamic Plus powertrain and suspension package, ceramic brakes (402mm-diameter front, 360mm rear)
WHEELS AND TIRES: Front – 9x19 rims, 265/35 R19 tires; Rear – 11x20 rims, 295/30 R20 tires
LENGTH: 179 in CURB WEIGHT: TBA
ACCELERATION: Zero-60 mph 3.7 sec TOP SPEED: 193 mph