The 2010 season of Formula1 world championship is going to be the best season ever, because a lot of good things are happening about it one after another! I mean Schumacher is coming back, there are new teams out there heating up the battle, and we have lots of great drivers all set to fight to the limit for the title! And now we even have a great safety car! Yes, it’s the new Mercedes SLS AMG Supercar. So this season you will be less mad every time the safety car is deployed!
The SLS AMG is the most powerful safety car ever in F1, it’s also the coolest and it certainly is the first gullwing car to take the job! With a 6.3-litre V8 engine developing 420 kW (571 hp) and a maximum torque of 650 Nm, which enables the car to run from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, the SLS is way too perfect for the task as well.
So German driver Bernd Mayländer is going to have a great time this season behind the wheel of this amazing machine. He even got two monitors inside the cockpit to monitor the cars behind.
“Together with the entire AMG Team, I am very proud that the new SLS AMG is the official F1 safety car. I’m sure all Mercedes and AMG fans will be excited to see the gullwing model together with the new Mercedes GP Petronas Team at the F1 circuits,” says Volker Mornhinweg, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
And like the last years, Mercedes C63 AMG Estate will be used as the Official F1 Medical Car.
More on the Mercedes SLS AMG Safety Car:
The unique vehicle concept is a key factor in ensuring outstanding driving
dynamics: the aluminium spaceframe body keeps the vehicle weight down to 1620 kilograms (DIN kerb weight). And thanks to the dry-sump lubrication system, the AMG V8 powerplant can be installed very low down, resulting in a beneficial lowering of the vehicle’s centre of gravity. The installation position a long way behind the front axle and the transaxle arrangement of the new seven-speed double-clutch transmission on the rear axle have a positive effect on the weight distribution, which is 47/53 percent (front/rear). Pure motorsport tech-nology is used for the AMG sports suspension: aluminium double-wishbone axles front and rear ensure outstanding driving dynamics with precise turn-in ability, first-class agility, low mass inertia when changing direction spontaneously and, therefore, a high cornering limit.
Double-clutch transmission and ceramic composite brake system
The AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission with double-clutch technology features four modes and allows fast gear changes with practically
no interruption in tractive power – in manual mode (“M”), gear changes can be effected in 100 milliseconds. Together with the 3-stage ESP®, the integrated mechanical multidisc differential lock ensures outstanding traction. Meanwhile, braking distances are minimised and resistance to fading is maximised, even when the brakes are subject to typical race-track loads, courtesy of the AMG ceramic high-performance composite brake system with its generously sized ceramic discs measuring 402 x 39 mm on the front axle and 360 x 32 mm on the rear axle. The weight-optimised 10-spoke forged wheels are shod with 265/35 R 19 (front) and 295/30 R 20 (rear) tyres.
The Official F1™ Safety Car features the same engine, power transmission, suspension and brake system as the standard-production SLS AMG. The exceptional technology package for the super sports car ensures perfect driving dynamics and means that no further technical modifications or lightweight-design measures are necessary, with the sole exception of the all-new rear silencer, which allows the high-revving AMG V8 naturally aspirated engine to breathe more easily and offers Formula-1 fans an even more emotionally charged sound experience.
Aerodynamically optimised roof light bar incorporating LED technology
Compared to the standard-production SLS, the Official F1™ Safety Car is distinguishable on the outside by its prominent F1 logos, carbon-fibre exterior mirrors and the characteristic roof light bar with integrated TV camera. It sits on an all-new carbon-fibre hood whose shape has been tested in the wind tunnel to ensure optimum airflow at the rear aerofoil. The aerofoil pops up when the car reaches 120 km/h and, together with the rear diffuser, provides the necessary rear downforce. LEDs are used for all light functions for the first time in the new, aerodynamically styled roof light bar. Their advantages over the previously used bulbs lie in their extremely fast response time and low power consumption.
The two centrally positioned green lights in the aerodynamically optimised light bar are illuminated when the Official F1™ Safety Car joins the field and first needs to overtake all the racing cars in front of it. Once the SLS AMG has assumed the leading position, the outer orange flashing lights are switched on to signal to the Formula-1 drivers that no overtaking whatsoever is allowed. The white stroboscopic lights in the headlamps and tail lights perform a general signalling function in that they always flash whilst the safety car is deployed. A special number plate at the rear, with “Safety Car” lettering and 700 LEDs, provides additional safety in darkness or wet weather. A reversing camera is integrated to the left of the number plate, allowing those in the cockpit of the Official F1™ Safety Car to keep an eye on the Formula-1 cars behind via monitor.
Practical interior with AMG sports bucket seats
The distinctive gullwing doors open to reveal a practical cockpit which, like the exterior, differs only slightly from that of the standard-production model. AMG sports bucket seats with black leather upholstery and six-point seat belts ensure optimum lateral support. On the right side of the AMG DRIVE UNIT, there are four coloured buttons for controlling the various light functions, along with the signal horn, which is activated when the car is driving into and out of the pit lane. The centre console, like various other interior trim parts, is finished in genuine carbon fibre, while the AMG performance steering wheel in leather/Alcantara features a specially shaped grip area, a high-quality genuine-metal insert and a flat-bottomed rim with a diameter of 370 millimetres. Two genuine-metal shift paddles are used to change between the seven gears in the double-clutch transmission.
Two central monitors in the SLS AMG cockpit are used to monitor the progress of the race. To the left and right of the lower monitor are the controls for the radio system, which allows Bernd Mayländer and Pete Tibbetts to communicate with Race Control as well as with each other. A second interior mirror lets the co-driver keep an eye on the Formula-1 cars behind. Meanwhile, the “Marshalling System” is integrated in the central display on the instrument cluster and in the lid of the glove compartment: here the driver and co-driver can see exactly the same signals as the Formula-1 drivers in their cockpits. For instance, the various LEDs indicate when yellow or green flags are being waved. LEDs indicating the status of the roof light bar, along with an on-board camera angled towards Bernd Mayländer, are mounted at the front end of the dashboard.
Nine generations of Safety Cars from AMG
For 14 years AMG has continuously provided the Official F1™ Safety Car and the Official F1™ Medical Car in the top flight of international motorsport.
All AMG Safety Cars at a glance
1996:
C 36 AMG (W 202)
from 1997:
CLK 55 AMG (C 208)
2000:
CL 55 AMG (C 215)
from 2001:
SL 55 AMG (R 230)
2003:
CLK 55 AMG (C 209)
from 2004:
SLK 55 AMG (R 171)
from 2006:
CLK 63 AMG (C 209)
from 2008:
SL 63 AMG (R 230)
from 2010:
SLS AMG (C 197)
All AMG Medical Cars at a glance
1996:
C 36 AMG (W 202)
1997:
C 36 AMG (W 202); E 60 AMG (W 210)
from 1998:
C 55 AMG Estate (S 202)
from 2001:
C 32 AMG Estate (S 203)
from 2004:
C 55 AMG Estate (S 203)
from 2008:
C 63 AMG Estate (S 204)
