√Inside F1’s Aston Martin DBX medical car at the 2022 Melbourne GP

There’ll be a second Australian behind the wheel at this weekend’s Grand Prix – Drive takes a look at the new Aston Martin DBX medical car.

The Aston Martin DBX medical car is making its 2022 debut at this weekend’s Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne – here is everything you need to know about what it does and how it works.

Driven by Australia’s former Supercars competitor Karl Reindler, the performance SUV is designed to reach injured drivers at an accident as quickly and safely as possible.

To achieve this, it has been heavily modified by Aston Martin – both under the bonnet and inside the cabin.

Marshalling monitors and TV screens are fitted to the dashboard to keep the FIA’s Dr Ian Roberts – sitting in the passenger seat – updated on track conditions and potential hazards.

Meanwhile, the boot has been almost entirely filled with first aid equipment, a defibrillator, fire extinguishers, and a stretcher.

The rear seats make way for a roll-cage and two bucket seats with six-point safety harnesses – designed to transport injured drivers from the scene of an accident to the nearest medical centre.

Engine output has been slightly hiked, with 404kW/700Nm sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission.

This allows the 0-100km/h sprint to be completed in a claimed 4.5 seconds on the way to a top speed in excess of 290km/h.

Later this year Drive understands the the medical car will be converted to the more powerful a DBX 707 – claimed to be the world’s fastest SUV.

Marek Reichman – the Aston-Martin car marque’s chief designer – told Drive: “The feedback we get from drivers [through the medical car program] helps us back at the factory … So far it has all been positive.”

No changes have yet been made to the road-going car, however Reichman suggested the production model could at some point be updated based on date learned through the medical car program.

The Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne starts at 3:00PM local time on 10 April 2022.

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