The Safety Car's story: 500 Grands Prix and controlling Hamilton and Verstappen

The iconic Safety Car, a fixture in Formula 1, has a history as dramatic and evolving as the sport itself, from its chaotic beginnings to its current, highly regulated role.

Its debut at the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix was marked by confusion. A Porsche 914, driven by former F1 driver Eppie Wietzes, was deployed to manage adverse weather conditions. However, the car positioned itself incorrectly, causing drivers to lose laps and leading to a prolonged calculation of the results, with American Peter Revson eventually declared the winner.

Over the years, various vehicles served as Safety Cars. In the 1980s, Monaco saw a Lamborghini Countach deployed multiple times. The sport officially standardized the Safety Car's presence in 1993, obliging each race organizer to provide one. This led to a diverse array of cars, from a FIAT Tempra to a Ford Escort Cosworth, and even a Honda Prelude and a Renault Clio at the 1996 Argentine GP.

For the past thirty years, a partnership with Mercedes-Benz has ensured the German manufacturer supplies the Safety Car for all races, with Aston Martin joining more recently. The current Safety Car, a Mercedes-AMG GT PRO 4MATIC+, is driven by German Bernd Mayländer, who has held the position since 2000. He noted that controlling drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen presents unique challenges.

The role of the Safety Car was again highlighted at the recent British Grand Prix at Silverstone, where Charles Leclerc took victory under its guidance after Max Verstappen's late accident. The race concluded behind the Safety Car, a scenario that has occurred thirteen times in F1 history. However, the event was marred by a software error that incorrectly announced a restart, causing confusion among drivers and teams.