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Published September 25, 2008
SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
The benefits of safety
By SAMUEL EE
WHENEVER the 20 Formula One cars line up on the grid at the start of each race, one other vehicle stands out on the track and it's not only because of its flashing beacons.
High visibility: Driver Bernd Maylander and Mercedes- Benz's F1 safety car
Unlike the other cars, the safety car is the only one that looks most like a normal road car. In fact, it really is a road car except for the beacons, some extra cooling, a few lightweight measures and other racing modifications. For the current season, the official F1 Safety Car is based on the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG.
AMG is the high-performance division of the German luxury carmaker and the SL63 convertible has an AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine with 525 hp. It accelerates from zero to 100 kmh in 4.4 seconds, an essential quality for leading the pack of powerful F1 cars in an orderly procession whenever there is an accident, adverse weather conditions or any other hazardous situation on the track.
But more interesting than being chosen as the safety car for this glamorous high-speed race is the fact that the brand with the three-pointed star has been associated thus for the past 12 years.
Eight generations of safety cars have served in F1 since 1996. The Official F1 Medical Car has also carried the AMG insignia over the same period, although as early as in 1984, an AMG E-Class Coupe with a V8 engine was used occasionally as medical transport. The current medical car is a C63 AMG Estate.
Wolfgang Schattling, director of motorsport communications for Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, cites the use of AMG models as evidence of Mercedes-Benz's commitment to Formula One.
'We have a long-standing, close working relationship with the FIA in the field of safety in motorsports,' he explains.
FIA refers to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the world governing body for motorsports.
Mr Schattling declines to say why AMG was chosen by FIA to provide both the safety and medical cars. But he did mention that AMG produces 'the most dynamic cars in the Mercedes-Benz model range, so that's why we chose AMG to take care of the Safety Car project'.
For a sport with a television audience of 500 million viewers per race, this arrangement has to be the ultimate in product placement. However, Mr Schattling refuses to disclose the financial terms of this high-profile branding.
He would only say: 'The exposure we get from supplying the safety and medical cars is excellent and enhances our image of producing safe and dynamic cars and presenting ourselves as a safety-conscious company.'
As a rough guide, though, corporate partners who supply F1 teams with products for their use, such as watches or clothes, typically pay anything from US$15 million to US$25 million per season for the privilege.
The safety car is driven by Bernd Maylander, a former German touring car champion and Porsche Carrera Cup driver. He has been the official driver for the past three years.
For each race weekend, Mr Maylander and his co-driver strap themselves into their AMG sports bucket seats with four-point seatbelts. The interior trim parts are made of real carbon fibre with black leather appointments and Mr Maylander's fingers are curled around a flat-bottomed AMG performance steering wheel with aluminium shift paddles.
There are two monitors on the centre console for the safety car crew to supervise the action on the racetrack, while a two-way radio system allows them to remain in contact with the race management. To further protect Mr Maylander and his co-driver, the SL63 AMG has a rollover bar and a larger braking system.
Interestingly, the addition of these protective measures does not make the safety car heavier than the series-production SL63 AMG. This is because of lightweight design measures such as the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the engine bonnet, front and rear aprons, front wings and luggage compartment lid.
The roadster's insulation materials have also been dispensed with, as well as all the mechanical and hydraulic components of the folding hardtop since the safety car is always driven with its roof up.
All these modifications may be costly but there are untold commercial benefits to be reaped.
'With F1, there is very high visibility for the AMG brand because the safety car can be seen clearly at the start of the race when it goes around for the warm-up lap,' says a senior Mercedes executive.
And when there is an accident during the race, the safety car's presence is amplified because it will come on-track again.
'The safety car gives Mercedes-Benz and AMG a very high profile.'