Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix is almost certain to see the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG safety car called into action. With an increase in power output to 435kW and Ride Control performance suspension, the GT version of the Gullwing is perfectly suited to its role in the elite class of world motorsport.
The current safety car was used for the first time in a race situation at the Belgian Grand Prix and there is a high probability that it will make an appearance during the night race on Singapore's Marina Bay street circuit. Indeed, race control has brought out the safety car in Singapore Grand Prix since it joined the Formula One calendar in 2008.
EXTREME SITUATIONS
The job of the safety car is to help ensure maximum safety in extreme situations. As soon as race control considers that the safe progress of the race may be impeded, it sends the safety car out onto the circuit, usually because of accidents or poor weather.
The official safety car driver is 41-year-old Bernd Mayländer from Germany, who's been doing this job since 2000 and has becone a key member of the FIA safety team throughout the weekend. His co-driver, 45-year-old British FIA associate Pete Tibbets, stays in constant radio contact with race control whenever the safety car is on the circuit.
And that's not only during Formula One Grands Prix.
The safety car is also on call throughout the race weekend for accompanying race series such as the GP2 and GP3 Series and the Porsche Supercup.
It’s been brought out six times so far in the 2012 F1 season, with the drivers putting in 138.1km under safety-car rules. The longest safety-car phase so far this year was in March during the second Grand Prix of the season at Sepang in Malaysia, lasting for eight laps - 44.3km - before and after the race restart, due to torrential rainfall.
The previous season saw the safety come out a record 21 times for a total of 452.3km.
STANDARD IS FAST ENOUGH
Surprisingly, apart from the radio equipment and light bar (and a very authoritative exhaust system!) the SLS AMG GT safety car isn't specially modified for the job - its 435kW and 650Nm, from a stock-standard 6.3-litre V8 and seven-speed dual-clutch transaxle, will take it from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds and on to 200 in just 11.2, quick enough that the Formula One machines run no risk of overheating or fouling their spark plugs as they formate behind it.