

One of the most important aspects of any Grand Prix weekend is a medical car. Many have wondered why is it Mercedes? Or why does chase the pack of drivers on the first lap of the race? And most importantly, who is the person behind the wheel?
Which model does Mercedes use as a medical car during race weekends?
Formula One uses the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, as their medical car at all Grand Prix events in an F1 calendar.
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You've seen the new-look AMG @Crowdstrike Safety and Medical Cars! 😍
But what's the story behind the red? All the details here… 👇
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 8, 2021
Why does Formula One use Mercedes as their medical car?
The German manufacturer has been a part of Formula One since 1996, and continues to provide the sport of F1 with a safety and a medical car. Recently, for the 2021 season, Aston Martin also joined the pack, providing safety and a medical car.
For the 2021 season on Formula 1, both the Mercedes-AMG Official FIA F1 Safety Car™ and the Official FIA F1 Medical Car™ were painted in a bold red, and with that not only reflect Mercedes-AMG, but also the new Official Safety Car sponsor of @MercedesAMGF1, @CrowdStrike pic.twitter.com/PfvG677eGU
— Mercedes-AMG (@MercedesAMG) March 8, 2021
Why does the car start in an F1 race?
While fans are watching the action of a race unfold in the first lap, many wonder why the medical car follows the drivers. The answer to that is since the cars are close together, there is a chance of a crash. In order to be ready for any accidents that could happen in the opening lap, a medical car follows them for the first lap around the track.

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Who is behind the wheel of the medical car?
Fans of the sport know the name of all twenty drivers on the grid, and are curious to know who is the person driving the red Mercedes medical car. The person who is responsible for driving the car around the track is Alan Van der Merwe.
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The duties for the safety car fall in the hands of Germany’s Bernd Mayländer.
This weekend will be my 234th F1 start 😳 Time has flown by, and each start has been a privilege.
Questions about what we do and why we do it? I’ll answer them below 👇#f1 #medicalcar #mercedesamg #amgpower #amg pic.twitter.com/XjptiIor83
— Alan van der Merwe (@alanvdm) May 8, 2021
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With a few more races to this season, we will see the medical car zipping around the track, ensuring that there aren’t any incidents and keeping all twenty drivers safe as they race around the track.
Read More: Here’s Why the Mercedes F1 Safety and Medical Car Are Red in Color for 2021
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