Mailander: The most important thing is that you don’t get into an accident yourself

Bernd Maylander has already started his 24th season in F1 as a safety car driver and he certainly has a lot to remember. This job was once offered to him, in the days of the 1999 San Marino Grand Prix, by Charlie Whiting, who was already acting as FIA race director at the time.

Bernd had a wealth of racing experience in various series from Formula Ford to DTM and endurance racing, but then, in 1999, he took part in the Porsche Supercup. When Whiting called him into his office, he thought he was in trouble, but it turned out it was something else entirely.

“Within five minutes I left Charlie’s office with a new job – I didn’t even know a safety car driver got paid!” Maylander said in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport.

First he was a safety car driver in Formula 3000 and a year later he switched to Formula 1. For almost a quarter of a century he has worked for more than 400 Grand Prix and seen so many racers, so he knows very well the tactics which they follow when following the safety car. In particular, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton preferred to wait until the last moment before accelerating on the restart.

In addition, Hamilton often resorts to a special trick when leading the race: “When Lewis is behind the safety car, he always hides. I always have to look for the blind spots – where is he there? ..”

It is clear that it was Mailander who played a part in the controversial outcome of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when the championship title was at stake, which eventually went to Max Verstappen, which of course caused a sharp reaction from the Mercedes. team and from Hamilton fans.

“I crossed the guest area of ​​the paddock without taking off my helmet and crouched on the bank somewhere in the far corner,” recalled Maylander. “First of all, I had to organize my thoughts, I was trying to realize what just happened…”

Speaking about the events of several years, which are especially strongly remembered, he mentioned several races: “The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji circuit was memorable, as was the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, when I was in the lead drove. for almost half the distance! I didn’t get a reward for this, but I almost missed my plane because the race ended very late.

It is my job to hold back the peloton so that all riders act calmly and safely. I have to lead the way and set the pace. I also remember the 2019 German Grand Prix – it was a great race!

I then had to go to the limit, in some corners, for safety reasons I had to choose very wide trajectories. The driver behind the wheel of his car is obliged to stay on the track, but for the driver of a safety car the most important thing is that you do not end up in an accident yourself.