Aston Martin F1 safety car is too slow like a “turtle”, says Max Verstappen after the recent Australian Grand Prix

Defending world champion Max Verstappen wants Formula 1 to speed up his Aston Martin safety car, which he likens to a “turtle” after last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. During the 58-lap race, the safety car was launched twice after Carlos Sainz hit his Ferrari on gravel and the collision of Sebastian Vettel.

Motorsport now has two safety cars – one Aston Martin Vantage and a Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series – rotates at races, with the former being driven by former DTM driver Bernd Maylander at Albert Park Circuit last Sunday.

While both safety models are powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, this is the Black Series with the most output, up 730hp from Aston’s 535hp. The Mercedes-AMG Safety Car also offers a higher level of aerodynamic performance.

“There was so little grip and the safety car drove so slowly, it was like a turtle. Unbelievable,” Verstappen said after the race. “To drive 140 [km/h] The rear was straight, there was not a single car damaged, so for some reason we had to drive so slowly. We have to investigate,” he continued.

“For sure the Mercedes safety car will be faster because of the extra aero, because this Aston Martin is really slow. It definitely needs more grip, because our tires have cooled down. It’s appalling that we’re driving behind a safety car at the moment,” Verstappen added.

When safely in the back of a vehicle, drivers often roll from side to side to try to keep their tire temperatures optimal for enough grip when restarting. Verstappen restarted both after eventual race winner Charles Leclerc, who agreed with his 2022 opponent but did not complain on the radio.

“Honestly, it always feels too slow in the car because with those Formula 1 cars we have a lot of traction and it is very, very difficult, especially on the complex that we I’ve been in, it’s been a tough place,” Leclerc said in a post-race interview.

“I am massively struggling to put some heat in them, so I struggle too. Honestly, I wanted to complain, but then I checked how much of an angle the safety car was sliding and I didn’t think he could come up with anything more so I didn’t want to put too much pressure on it. a lot of. Certainly with the cars we have today, it is very difficult to keep the temperature in the rear tires safe,” he added.

“We have no problems with the Mercedes-AMG safety car. On a serious note, the Mercedes-AMG is like five seconds, a lot faster than the Aston Martin safety car, which is quite remarkable,” said Mercedes driver George Russell, who finished third behind Sergio Perez of Red Bull, satire. “We need to order a Ferrari to make it five seconds faster than a Mercedes,” Leclerc replied sarcastically.