Mayländer began in karting in the late 1980s and worked his way through several junior and production car categories, including Formula Ford and the Porsche Carrera Cup. He also competed in the original DTM — the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft — before the series was reborn under its Masters banner in 2000. During his time as a competitive driver, he also took part in the International Touring Car Championship and entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
When the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters was revived in 2000, Mayländer secured a drive with Mercedes-Benz. He raced for the Stuttgart manufacturer in DTM from 2001 to 2004. His career highlight in the series came at Hockenheimring in 2001, where he took a race victory — one of the few outright wins for Mercedes that season.
Mayländer became the Formula One safety car driver in 2000 and has remained in the role for more than two decades, making him the longest-serving safety car driver in the history of the championship. He controls the field during dangerous conditions, accidents, or debris on track, pacing the competing cars until the circuit is declared safe for racing to resume.
Among the very rare exceptions to his continuous tenure were the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix and 2001 Canadian Grand Prix, when an injury forced him to step aside; Marcel Fässler substituted for him on both occasions. He was also absent at the 2002 United States Grand Prix, where Irish racing driver Damien Faulkner took his place.
By 2018, Mayländer had led more than 700 laps during safety car periods across his Formula One career, a measure of just how frequently and for how long the safety car is deployed in the modern championship. Peter Tibbetts serves as his co-driver and map reader during race weekends.
In a notable incident ahead of the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Mayländer suffered brake failure during a pre-event test run and spun the safety car into a barrier at the Parabolica corner, a high-speed section of the historic circuit. He deliberately steered into the barrier to reduce impact speed. Both Mayländer and his passenger Richard Darker were unhurt.
In May 2005, Mayländer participated in an endurance record attempt organised by Mercedes-Benz. Three standard-production E320 CDI diesel cars were driven a combined 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometres) over 30 consecutive days, running around the clock. The effort produced an average speed of 139.7 mph (224.8 km/h), demonstrating the reliability and performance potential of Mercedes production vehicles.
Mayländer's extraordinary longevity in the Formula One safety car role has made him one of the most recognisable figures in the paddock even though he rarely appears on television for extended periods. His skill in managing field bunching, maintaining appropriate pace, and positioning the safety car for quick deployment and withdrawal has been praised consistently by drivers and race directors alike. He represents a rare instance of a career competitive racing driver successfully transitioning into a pivotal but largely behind-the-scenes operational role within the sport's highest category.
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