The start of a Formula One race is one of the most exciting moments in sport. After the qualifying rounds on the previous day to dictate where each driver will line up for the race on the F1 grid, the nerves and anticipation starts to build.
After all the pre-race pageantry is done and the drivers and pit crews make their last minutes checks, everyone and everything is cleared from the track except for the F1 cars and the drivers. Well, everything except for one road car positioned at the back of the grid, that is…
The car at the back of the F1 grid is the official medical car for the race.
Waiting behind the race cars, the medical car closely shadows the field on the starting lap when the F1 cars are particularly close together during this critical phase of the race so that in the event of an incident, doctors can reach the scene of the accident as quickly as possible and start administering first-aid immediately.
For the new 2023 season, the official FIA Medical Car of Formula 1 will be an Aston Martin DBX707, and the official driver of the will be Bruno Correira.
Despite the sports SUV being able to accelerate from zero to 100kph in 3.1 seconds, the DBX707 is substantially slower than the race cars on the F1 grid, but it is fast enough to complete the first lap without being overtaken, and pitting after at the end of the opening lap.
The medical car was first commissioned by Dr. Sid Watkins – chief medical officer of Formula One at the time – after the tragic events of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix. The purpose of it’s position on the F1 grid is to the medical car to keep as close a distance with the race cars on the first lap, in order to give immediate medical support if it is required.
Curiously there was a bizarre incident in 1995 where Footwork driver Taki Inoue was actually hit by the Medical Car after getting out of his car on the side of the track at the Hungary Grand Prix.