Mercedes-Benz has announced a new, expanded partnership with global automotive technology company Luminar, which will see it partner with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team as well as integrate its technology into the Official FIA F1 Safety Car.
Luminar will work on creating a unique sensor that will be able to “create a real-time 3D map of the environment ahead of the Safety Car, notably enhancing the Safety Car driver’s ability to assess the situation on the track while maintaining the required high speeds.” The tech integration is subject to FIA and F1 regulatory compliance and approval.
Toto Wolff, CEO and Team Principal of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, said:
“I am delighted that we have launched this new partnership with Luminar. I have been thoroughly impressed by their journey so far, their technology and the work they have done. It is a truly thrilling and innovative area which will have far-reaching implications for the automotive industry and mobility more generally.
“Our collaboration will utilise the initial development work between Luminar and Mercedes-Benz as a bedrock, and I am excited to see how we can build on that. Luminar’s culture of innovation and entrepreneurship also fits incredibly well with our own ethos and values so this is a natural collaboration.“
Markus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer of Mercedes-Benz AG and Non-Executive Chairman of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, said:
“The partnership with our Formula 1 team is a natural extension of Mercedes-Benz’s existing partnership with Luminar to help realise our vision for accident-free driving in Mercedes production cars. Mercedes-Benz has always been at the forefront of innovation and safety and we look forward to continuing our development efforts with Luminar to bring this technology to our F1 team.“
Austin Russell, Founder and CEO of Luminar, added:
“Luminar’s technology has always been about pushing the limits of performance while improving automotive safety – and with F1, Mercedes-AMG are taking it to the extreme on a world stage of automotive enthusiasts. The same leading technology developed in partnership with Mercedes-Benz for their production cars will be shared with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, demonstrating performance and safety advantages at any speed from the city, to the autobahn, to the track.“
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