Bernd Mayländer (born May 29, 1971 in Schorndorf is a German racing driver and current Formula 1 safety car driver.
He began his career in karting in the late 1980s. In the years that followed, his path led him into Formula Ford, the Porsche Carrera Cup and the original DTM. In 1994 he won the Porsche Carrera Cup. In 2000 he won the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring in a Porsche 911 GT3-R and was runner-up in the Porsche Super Cup. When the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) series resumed in 2000, he drove for Mercedes-Benz. In 2001 he won the last DTM race of the season on the old Hockenheim circuit for Mercedes-Benz.
Bernd Mayländer is the safety car driver for all Formula 1 races including GP2 and GP3 and Porsche Super Cup. He has driven the Formula 1 safety car since 2000, with the exception of the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix when he was injured. One of the most spectacular races was the 2011 Canadian F1 Grand Prix where he led 34 laps (46.9%) while race winner Jenson Button only led half a lap, the last half of the final lap.
In May 2005 he was one of six Mercedes-Benz drivers who took part in a record-breaking drive. Three production E320 CDI type E320 cars drove 100,000 miles in 30 days around the clock, resulting in an average speed of 224.8 km/h (139.7 mph).
Since 2005 he has also been a Mercedes-Benz ambassador in the DTM.
Since 2021 he has also fulfilled his dream of becoming a winemaker and grows and develops his own wines. These are available at www.berndmaylaender.wine.com