Does safety car driver Mayländer ever make a mistake? 'Am only human too'

As safety car driver, Bernd Mayländer is one of the few drivers driving ahead of Max Verstappen in the Grands Prix. The 52-year-old German has been driving the safety car in Formula 1 for decades, coming onto the track when needed. Speaking to NOS, Mayländer talks about some of the events within his job.

Is Mayländer making mistakes himself?

For 24 years, Mayländer has been driving in the safety car that enters the track when Formula 1 drivers need to take it easy for a while. In those 24 years, he has hardly made a mistake, he says.

"I am also only human and have had a few 'narrow escapes', especially in the rain. In aquaplaning, you can slip just like that. Sometimes it's tricky, but if it's really unsafe we don't drive. Then we stop the race. I have never shot off the track or spun," the driver says.

Mayländer during Chinese GP

Things did not always go smoothly for the safety car driver. "Like that huge puddle at the Chinese grand prix, exactly where I had to brake. The footage was spectacular. While braking, you could see me sliding and breaking out," Mayländer said. At the Canadian Grand Prix, the safety car celebrated its 50th birthday.