Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Mercedes will introduce the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ as Formula 1’s new official safety car at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, making it the first F1 safety car to use variable all-wheel drive.
The Hungaroring debut gives the change extra weight for Mercedes, which said the car is its 14th official F1 safety car and arrives as the manufacturer marks 30 years in the role since first supplying the championship in 1996. It also comes in Mercedes’ first season back as F1’s sole safety-car supplier after sharing duties with Aston Martin from 2022 to 2025.
Replacing the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series used since 2022, the new model is powered by a 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine producing 450 kW, or 612 hp, and 850 Nm of torque. Mercedes has centered its upgrade on the fully variable AMG Performance 4MATIC+ system, which it said is designed to provide optimal traction in both dry and wet conditions.
Bernd Mayländer, the official FIA F1 safety car driver, said the car’s “agile and direct response to driver inputs is spot on.” He added: “It is the first safety car with all-wheel drive. This provides optimum traction.”
Mayländer said the new car shows its strengths “when cornering and accelerating” and called it “an exceptional road car” before adding that he was looking forward to driving it “for the first time under real-world conditions in Hungary.”
For its first weekend on track, the GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ will run in a special black-and-red livery marking the anniversary. Mercedes also said the FIA-specific package includes an integrated signaling system in the rear wing, with orange lights used to signal a no-overtaking order and green lights indicating the safety car may be passed.
That combination of a new drivetrain, a new control package and Mercedes’ return to exclusive responsibility makes Hungary more than a routine model change, with the safety car role moving into a new technical phase just as the manufacturer reasserts full control of it in F1.