F1 | Aston Martin ends Safety Car supply, Mercedes returns as exclusive provider. Aston Martin will no longer supply F1 Safety Cars from 2026, leaving Mercedes as the exclusive provider.

In a surprise move, Aston Martin will no longer supply the Formula 1 Safety Cars starting from the 2026 season. The responsibility will return entirely to Mercedes, continuing a tradition that has been in place for years. The details behind the decision have not yet been clarified, and an official statement is expected.

The British manufacturer first debuted as a Safety Car provider in 2021, drawing some criticism. The cars provided were less powerful than those supplied by Mercedes, with several drivers complaining about the low speed and difficulty in maintaining tire temperatures at such slow velocities. Alongside the power deficit, the high weight of the Aston Martin Vantage also affected performance.

Mercedes returns as the sole Safety Car provider

According to The Race, Aston Martin has officially ended its Safety Car supply to Formula 1. This clears the way for Mercedes, which has been providing the Safety Car since 1996. The decision came as a surprise, arriving just on the eve of the 2026 season. The exact dynamics and factors behind the team’s final choice are still unclear.

Following negative feedback on the first model offered, Aston Martin presented updated versions over the years to try to match Mercedes’ performance and better meet drivers’ demands for speed. Multiple upgrades were made, both to the engine and aerodynamics. However, this direction has now been halted with the decision to abandon the role entirely.

Expanding the Mercedes fleet

For obvious reasons, Mercedes will now need to expand the fleet at its disposal. In addition to the Safety Car, Mercedes provides the Medical Car, an AMG GT 63 S that follows the drivers on the first lap of the race. The Safety Car itself, since 2022, has been an AMG GT Black Series, recently updated with a red livery, moving away from the historic silver color.

As the 2026 season approaches, the return to a single supplier marks the end of a unique era of shared duties between the two brands. While the Aston Martin Vantage brought a touch of British elegance to the race weekend, the sheer performance requirements of modern F1 cars seem to have tipped the scales back in favor of the specialized AMG machinery. Whether this move is a permanent shift or a temporary pause for Aston Martin remains to be seen, but for now, Bernd Mayländer will be spending his Sundays exclusively behind the wheel of a Mercedes.