 AMG, the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz, will
be on duty with the two specially prepared high-performance vehicles at all
17 of the new season's Formula 1 races, starting with a first appearance
at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne (27 to 29 March 2009). The specialists
from the AMG PERFORMANCE STUDIO are responsible for the development, production
and servicing of the vehicles. The Official F1™ Safety Car is always
deployed whenever the safety of a race is threatened by accidents, adverse
weather conditions or other hazardous situations. Sitting behind the wheel
of the exceptional SL 63 AMG will be Bernd Mayländer (Germany, 37 years
of age). After receiving instructions from the race management, the former
DTM driver must go to the head of the Formula 1 field and safely guide the
world's fastest racing drivers around the circuit. Fast lap times are a must
for the Safety Car, because otherwise the Formula 1 engines would overheat
- and their tyres and brakes would also cool down excessively. As in 2008,
the role of the Official F1™ Safety Car is also being fulfilled during
this year's new season by the Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG. Its distinctive driving
dynamics are a basic requirement for its challenging Formula 1 assignment:
the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine has a power output of 386 kW/525 hp, providing
acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. A newly developed AMG
sport exhaust system with larger pipe diameter and special rear silencers
allows the high-revving AMG naturally aspirated engine to breathe even more
freely - and gives it an even sportier sound. Outstanding driving dynamics
are guaranteed by the newly developed AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports
transmission with column shift, which makes it possible to change gear in
just 100 milliseconds.
Special coil-over suspension and cooling
measures
Optimum racetrack performance is guaranteed thanks to the specially developed
coil-over suspension, which can be customised to a specific racetrack by
means of individual suspension setup configurations. The combination of 3-stage
ESP® and rear-axle differential lock with 30 percent locking effect provides
optimum traction in all weather conditions. In the interests of reliability
even at tropical am-bient temperatures, the vehicle incorporates large-size,
additional coolers for engine oil, transmission oil, coolant and power steering.
Special cooling measures and heavy-duty composite
braking system
The front and rear axles feature 19-inch extra-light AMG forged light-alloy
wheels. The 8.5-inch (front) and 9.5-inch (rear) rims are fitted with tyres
of size 255/35 and 285/30, respectively. The design of the rims, with their
intricately styled double spokes, optimizes both the cooling of the highly
stressed braking system and the specially engineered cooling-air flow. Optimum
fatigue resistance and best-possible deceleration values are among the
self-evident characteristics of the AMG high-performance braking system,
which is equipped all round with internally ventilated composite brake discs.
The front axle is fitted with six-piston fixed callipers and discs of size
390 x 36 millimetres, while the rear axle features four-piston fixed callipers
with brake discs of size 360 x 26 millimetres.
220 kilograms lighter than the series-production
vehicle thanks to targeted lightweight design measures
Thanks to targeted lightweight design measures, the SL 63 AMG Safety Car
weighs in lighter than its series-production counterpart - and this is despite
additional cooling measures, lighting system and communications equipment.
The engine bonnet, front and rear aprons, front wings and luggage compartment
lid are produced from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic, a material that has
been tried and tested in motorsports. Since the Safety Car is always driven
with its top up, the vario roof has also been dispensed with. The result
is a weight reduction of 220 kilograms, with the Safety Car weighing in at
just 1750 kilograms (with a full tank and without occupants). Apart from
its special roof attachments and F1 logos, the SL 63 AMG Official F1™
Safety Car is distinguished from the standard-production AMG high-performance
roadster by a front apron with larger cooling-air openings. A prominent feature
at the rear of the vehicle is the modified diffuser insert in the rear apron,
which incor-porates the active rear-axle cooling, this compensating for
temperature peaks in the highly stressed differential housing. The white
LED flashlights in the headlamps and tail lamps are always in operation whenever
the vehicle is in use and have a neutral signalling function. The number
plate with Safety Car lettering on the rear is illuminated by means of almost
700 LEDs and guarantees even greater safety, par-ticularly in rain or darkness.
Interior with undiluted motorsport flair
The inside of the Safety Car is dominated by an atmosphere of undiluted
motorsport flair. The workplaces of Bernd Mayländer and his co-driver
feature two AMG sports bucket seats with 4-point seatbelts, trim parts in
real carbon fibre, black leather appointments and the AMG performance steering
wheel with its 365-millimetre steering wheel rim, flat underside and AMG
aluminium shift pad-dles. The centre console is equipped with two monitors
to enable the crew of the Safety Car to supervise the action on the racetrack,
while the two-way radio system allows them to remain in contact with the
race management.
C 63 AMG Estate: the Official F1™ Medical
Car
 In addition to the Safety Car, another
permanent feature of each Formula 1 race is the C 63 AMG Estate Official
F1™ Medical Car. At the start of every Grand Prix, the high-speed AMG
estate car follows the Formula 1 field on the first lap. This is because
the first lap represents a critical phase of the race in which the For-mula
1 vehicles are especially tightly bunched. In the event of an accident during
the race, the Medical Car is the first vehicle on the scene and is able to
guar-antee the fastest possible emergency treatment. This C 63 AMG Estate
has excellent credentials for such a challenging task, where literally every
second counts: the high-performance estate vehicle is powered by the AMG
6.3-litre V8 engine, which delivers 336 kW/457 hp and 600 Newtonmetres of
torque. The AMG sport exhaust system boasts larger pipe diameters and new
rear silencers, this resulting in a considerably more distinctive sound that
comes out of the two chrome-plated dual tailpipes. In order to guarantee
greater re-liability, the cooling of coolant, engine oil, transmission oil
and power steering has been optimized, this being visible also from the new
AMG front apron with its con-siderably larger cooling-air openings. The power
from the engine is transmitted via the AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-TRONIC PLUS, which
blips the throttle when chang-ing down for even greater smoothness. Perfect
traction is guaranteed by the combi-nation of 3-stage ESP® and differential
lock with 35 percent locking effect.
Coil-over suspension and AMG high-performance
braking system
An adjustable coil-over suspension and 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels, measuring
8 and 9 inches wide and fitted with tyres of sizes 235/35 (front) and 255/30
(rear), respectively, help to ensure perfect contact with the road. The powerful
AMG high-performance braking system, with its internally ventilated and
perforated composite brake discs on the front axle, guarantees extremely
short stop-ping distances. The Official F1™ Medical Car differs from
the standard-production C 63 AMG Estate with its new AMG front apron with
larger cooling-air openings as well as special brake cooling. The active
cooling of the rear-axle differential is integrated into the diffuser insert
at the rear. Like the Safety Car, the Medical Car, too, draws attention to
its special role on the track through its F1 logos, roof bar and strobe-like
LED flashlights at front and rear. Enhanced visibility in darkness or bad
weather is ensured by the LED-illuminated number plate with Medical Car lettering
on the boot lid tailgate The Official F1™ Medical Car is driven by racing
driver Alan van de Merwe (South Africa). His co-driver is Dr. Gary Hartstein
(Belgium), who is the official FIA Grand Prix Chief Medical Officer. Both
of them are accommodated in AMG sports bucket seats with 4-point seatbelts,
as are the two medical assistants in the rear. Two monitors in the centre
console help the crew to supervise the action on the racetrack, while an
on-board two-way radio system is responsible for communication with the race
management. The functional feel of the interior is marked by black leather
appointments and aluminium trim parts. The 365-millimetre AMG performance
steering wheel with its flat underside on the steering wheel rim and AMG
aluminium shift paddles guarantees perfect control over the vehicle. With
its unrivalled volume of 485 litres, the luggage compartment offers ample
space for the full complement of emergency equipment, including de-fibrillator
and respirator.
Transfer from motorsport to series
production
Both the SL 63 AMG Official F1™ Safety Car and the C 63 AMG Estate Official
F1™ Medical Car impressively document the transfer from motorsport to
series pro-duction. With reference to the example of the SL 63 AMG, numerous
components in the Safety Car are available straight from the factory. The
AMG Performance Package includes, for instance, the 360-millimetre composite
disc brakes on the front axle; the rear-axle differential lock; the 19-inch
AMG light-alloy forged wheels and the AMG performance steering wheel. The
same is true of the Medical Car: the AMG Performance Package for the C 63
AMG (saloon and estate models) includes, for ex-ample, the composite disc
brakes on the front axle, the rear-axle differential lock, the AMG performance
suspension and the AMG performance steering wheel in nappa leather/alcantara.
The 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels are optionally available.
AMG PERFORMANCE STUDIO responsible for
development
The development, track-testing and production of the two Safety Cars and
the two Medical Cars - in both cases, there is one emergency vehicle and
one replacement vehicle available - is carried out by the specialists from
the AMG PERFORMANCE STUDIO in close collaboration with the test team for
AMG overall vehicle develop-ment. This involves drawing on over 40 years
of know-how from the field of motorsport as well as the wealth of experience
in the design of high-performance sports automobiles. Numerous test drives
were carried out on various Formula 1 racetracks in order to tune the suspension
and verify all the systems and components. Two highly-qualified AMG technicians
are also on hand to take responsibility for the deployment of the Safety
Car and Medical Car at all 17 Formula 1 races.
Since 1996: eight generations of safety cars
from AMG
For 12 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)
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)
As early as 1984, an AMG E-Class Coupé with V8 engine was used
occasionally as the Medical Car. Consequently, the activities of the
Affalterbach-based company are also evidence of Mercedes-Benz's long-standing
commitment to Formula 1. |
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