Mercedes-AMG confirm new agreement with FIA for Safety Car supply from 2026

The expanded agreement with the FIA will see the brand from Affalterbach provide the Official FIA Formula 1 Safety and Medical Cars at all 24 Grands Prix, as well as at the official pre-season tests in Bahrain.

The move marks a consolidation of Mercedes-AMG’s long-standing role in Formula 1 safety operations, with the Official Cars once again exclusively carrying the Mercedes star at every event from 2026. Mercedes-AMG has supplied Safety and Medical Cars to Formula 1 since 1996, and the new agreement restores full brand responsibility for the programme after recent shared arrangements.

Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, underlined the significance of the renewed commitment, he said: “Safety is an absolutely central value of our brand and our products.

"That is why we have been providing the Official FIA Formula 1 Safety and Medical Car in Formula 1 since 1996. From the 2026 season onwards, the FIA Formula 1 Official Cars will once again bear the star at all Formula 1 events. In this way, we will continue to make an active contribution to safety in the premier class of motorsport.

"For Mercedes-AMG, Formula 1 is not only a sporting platform, but also an environment in which the performance, reliability, and safety of our vehicles become visible under extreme conditions.”

Mercedes-Benz first appeared as the FIA Formula 1 Safety and Medical Car provider on 30 June 1996 at the French Grand Prix in Magny-Cours, with the Mercedes-Benz C 36 AMG. The 2026 season will therefore mark 30 years since the brand with the star began its continuous association with Formula 1 safety operations.

Across the period from 1996 to 2026, a total of 13 different models have been used as Safety Cars and eight as Medical Cars. A further milestone was reached last season at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, where the 500th Safety Car deployment in Formula 1 history was recorded.

Since 2022, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series has served as the Official FIA Formula 1 Safety Car, alongside the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+ as the Official Medical Car. Both vehicles remain in active service and are also used across Formula 2, Formula 3, and other junior and support categories.

Mercedes-AMG provides three Official Safety Cars and two Official Medical Cars, with two vehicles present and ready for deployment at each race weekend. Vehicle maintenance is handled directly by Mercedes-AMG, supported by a dedicated technical team from Affalterbach.

A further constant of the programme is Bernd Mayländer. The AMG brand ambassador has been the Official FIA Formula 1 Safety Car driver since 2000. The 54-year-old is set to reach another landmark when he contests his 500th Formula 1 Grand Prix at the opening race of the 2026 season in Melbourne.