Mercedes-Benz India - Formula 1 - The SLS AMG

Whilst having fun and experiencing the thrill of extreme sports such as car racing, safety is very important. In case of unfortunate events such as accidents and other incidents, the FIA has the duty to respond to the need immediately and do all necessary to get the race going. This is made possible through the Safety Car.

When things get tough in the racetrack, the yellow flag is waved to get things back in order. If this becomes insufficient, FIA will need to decide if the occurrence is severe enough to suspend the race or to send out the safety car to slow things down and get track conditions up to racing standards.

With this kind of role, the Safety Car will need to be at par with the other Formula 1 race cars – it has to be fast. In this light, MERCEDES-BENZ has been proudly advancing the official safety car since 1993. During the 2010 season, Mercedes replaced the SL63 with the SLS AMG.

The new SLS has a 6.2 Litre V8 engine that produces 571 horsepower and a maximum torque of 650 Nm. This road car has gone through several modifications in its brakes and suspension amongst many other things to be ready to lead the pack on the circuits.

The new Gullwing is driven by Bernd Maylander who has been Formula1's resident safety car driver since the year 2000. He has the task of rounding up and slowing down the ferocious race cars during inclement weather and in times of incident and it is his leagues of experience that helps him ensure the race goes on. Bernd has had particular success as a touring car racer and is very comfortable behind the MERCEDES wheel.

When the orange lights are on, all drivers are required to slow down and form a queue behind the SLS AMG and no overtaking is allowed. Every lap completed behind the safety car counts as an official lap. When the safety car gets off the track, drivers start ramming the race track back into action towards the finish line.

Others in the audience may think that the safety car slows the race down, but it is much more worthy to note the significant task of ensuring safety while keeping the race going, which lies in the hands of the driver behind the wheels of the Safety Car.