Bernd Maylander gives us an insight into the preparation and responsibility of his role driving the SLS AMG Formula One safety car ahead of this weekends Grand Prix in Hungary.

They arrived early at the track on Sunday. It was one of the greatest moments of the weekend - seeing how the circuit and the people slowly awoke and embraced the exciting day ahead. After the second GP2 race the Porsche Supercup took place and the showdown for the Formula 1 race begun.

Charlie Whiting brought the official Formula 1 Safety Car to the starting grid and handed it over to Bernd Mayländer. He checked again whether the camera and the radio functioned properly and got the most recent weather update which is a very important part of his race preparation.

At 155 pm he leaves the starting grid. As soon as all cars have completed the first curve he moves the Safety Car to the parking position for the rest of the race. He then observes the race on the TV monitor and communicates with Race Control throughout to check whether all frequencies are functioning properly. prevent

If the race was finished without a Safety Car phase that was thankfully usually the case, he would wait for the last race car and follow it. If the weather conditions worsened or an accident occurred however he communicated with Race Control to give them his opinion of the situation. Race Control then decided whether he would be deployed or not.

The commands he gets from Race Control can include Safety Car stand by in which he prepares for deployment Safety Car stand-down meaning the dangerous situation no longer exists or Safety Car GO which means he must immediately drive onto the circuit and try to quickly maneuver in front of the leading car. During a Safety Car phase safety is the most important element, however Mayländer still needs to maintain a certain level of speed. This is so the race cars do not overheat from the lack of cooling air and to prevent their tyre pressure from decreasing.

He then stays on the circuit until the hazardous situation has been overcome. Before taking the next possible exit Maylander turns into the pit lane and the grid is released. If no support race takes place, his day usually ends there. When his work is done he spends his Sunday evenings at home.

For a chance to drive the SLS AMG yourself like us on Facebook