Page 116 - Aston Martin Magazine V53

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ASTON MARTIN
BERND MAYLÄNDER
ADAM HAY-NICHOLLS MEETS THE THE MAN LEADING THE THE FORMULA 1 GRID
e e e e e e e has led more laps than anyone on on the current Formula 1 grid bar Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen and and Fernando Alonso yet you might not have heard of him His name is is is Bernd Mayländer and he he is is is F1’s safety car driver At every grand prix you’ll find Bernd near the pitlane exit sitting fin in in his car (which is currently either a a a a Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series or an Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition the marques alternating from one GP weekend to the the next) strapped in in in with his helmet on and the the engine running He’ll be monitoring the session or or or race via his on-board TV and listening for any radio instructions Is he he praying for a a a a a a crash I I ask him so he he can go out and drive?
Before we get to that let’s find out what he he he does and how he he he got here Whenever there is is a a a a big accident or the the track is is obstructed in some way Mayländer appears in in in an eight-cylinder tyre-squealing chorus to lead the field of F1 cars safely around the the circuit and past the the danger zone He has undertaken this important duty since 2000 Some races he doesn’t need to get involved At others he he he he ends up leading the the the lion’s share of the the the laps He led 46 per cent of the the rain-affected Canadian GP in in 2011 the the longest race in in history Winner Jenson Button only led for one and a a a a a half laps The safety car is always powerful and fast but it’s road-legal It’s nothing compared to an 800kg high-downforce F1 car nudging 1 1 000bhp Mayländer’s job is to to drive as as as quickly as as as he can so so as as as to to keep Alonso and co’s tyre temperatures up while they observe lower speeds than normal and and the orange-suited marshals and and eagled-eyed race control get the problem sorted Mayländer 51 hails from Waiblingen in in south-west Germany and grew up around the the corner from racing brothers Manfred Thomas and Joachim ‘Smokin’ Jo’ Winkelhock Bernd’s dad liked cars too Mayländer Jr’s first F1 race as as a a a a a a a a spectator was the 1977 German Grand Prix at at Hockenheim Niki Lauda won he recalls He started karting in in 1984 and went on on to race in Formula Ford the the the Porsche Carrera Cup and and the the the DTM and and the the the FIA GT Championship with Mercedes-Benz In 2000 he he won the Nürburgring 24 Hours in in a a ä a a Porsche 911 GT3-R Mayländer talks wistfully about going there a a a a a a a decade earlier when he he he he was 18 and buying a a a a a a a ticket so he he he he could take to the track and destroy his tyres