Formula 1 will have two official Safety Cars this season as, for the first time in history, Aston Martin will supply Safety and Medical Cars to the Championship – alongside Mercedes, who have changed the paint of their AMG cars to red from silver.

Aston Martin are back in F1 for the first time in more than 60 years and, having already revealed their AMR21 contender to the world, they have now shown off their Vantage Safety Car and DBX Medical Car, with the pair set to make their debut at the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

The racing green Vantage Safety Car is powered by a 4.0l twin-turbo V8 engine, managing 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and has undergone suspension and aero modifications to make sure it can lead a pack of 20 F1 cars at sufficient speed to keep tyre temperatures adequate.

The DBX Medical Car will reach 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds with 550PS and 700NM of torque from the same engine as the Vantage, with defibrillator, fire extinguishers and a burn kit to respond to medical emergencies.

Mercedes, who have supplied the official Safety Cars since 1996 (and are sharing Safety Car appearances for the first time since then), have a new look this season with their AMG GT R Safety Car and C 63 S Estate Medical Car both dressed in red, which is synonymous with the German marque’s Rote Sau racing car.

Bernd Maylander will pilot both Aston Martin and Mercedes’ Safety Cars, with Alan van der Merwe taking the wheel of the Medical Cars.

The AMG GT R has a 4.0l biturbo V8 and can reach 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds, while the C 63 S Estate is modified with FIA-spec medical equipment, as is the DBX.