An Aston Martin Vantage used as the official Formula 1 safety car at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is being offered for sale.
Having played a part in one of the most controversial finishes in modern F1 history, the Podium Green Vantage will likely remain a talking point for decades to come.Â
Aston Martin’s recent announcement that it will no longer supply safety cars to Formula 1 arguably makes the Vantage even more collectible.
Currently advertised for sale at JCT600 in Leeds, this is clearly not a regular secondhand Vantage – a fact reflected in its substantial asking price.
Guaranteed to lead the pack
Aston Martin had announced it would return to Formula 1 for the 2021 season, bringing the classic British marque back to the grid after more than 60 years away.
Along with its AMR21 racing cars on track, Aston Martin also became a supplier of official safety cars to the series. Mercedes-Benz had held a monopoly on this role since 1996, but would now share the duties with the British brand.Â
Making its safety car debut at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, the Aston Martin Vantage came equipped with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine sourced from Mercedes-AMG.
Podium Green paintwork was used for the safety car’s exterior, with a dramatic bodykit and high-visibility light bar. The interior was also prepared for the timing and communications equipment required by Bernd Maylander and his co-driver.
A road-going Vantage F1 Edition was also offered, allowing Aston Martin customers to emulate the real safety car.
The controversial F1 title decider
Three Vantages were prepared for official Formula 1 safety car duties, with ‘SC02’ VIN N00045 being the second of two offered privately for sale.
First registered in 2018, it served as the safety car at 20 Grand Prix weekends between 2021 and 2023, accumulating some 4,280 kilometres (2,659 miles) on-track.Â
However, no time leading the pack was more controversial than the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when SC02 was deployed following a crash by the Williams driver, Nicolas Latifi.Â
Race director Michael Masi then allowed the cars of title contenders Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to ‘unlap’ themselves, creating a final lap fight for the race win – and the 2021 drivers’ championship.
With Verstappen having fresher soft tyres on his Red Bull car, he easily dispatched Hamilton and claimed his first Formula 1 title.
Own a piece of Formula 1 history
The fallout from the safety car intervention at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was immense, seeing a complete FIA inquiry and the removal of Michael Masi as race director.Â
It remains a major talking point for modern Formula 1 fans, with SC02 right at the centre of the controversy.
JCT600 Aston Martin Leeds is asking £599,990 for the Vantage, which comes signed by current Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
Short of buying a Red Bull Racing RB16B, or perhaps a Mercedes-AMG F1 W12, there are few more significant ways to own part of 2021 F1 world championship history.
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