The second race of the season had a tough act to follow after a brilliant battle in Bahrain last weekend, but Saudi Arabia more than lived up to the very high expectations set. While only landing in 5th position, this was one of Russell’s finest performances, the Briton doing the best with what he’s got right now. Russell drove a lonely race to fifth, five places ahead of his more decorated team mate Lewis Hamilton to secure another top-five finish and keep the points rolling in while the Silver Arrows find a way to unlock the W13’s potential.

Formula One – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, 2022 Saudi Arabian GP. George Russell

George Russell

It was a strong race in terms of maximising our potential points today, the car felt good but we’re just lacking downforce because we can’t get the car to run close to the ground. We got the car in a nice window and I was pushing as hard as I could, it was probably the most physical race I’ve experienced in F1, 50 laps at the limit on a fast street circuit – I just want to be doing it fighting for victory. Everybody is working as hard as they can to close the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari, every single person at Brackley and Brixworth wants more and we’ll continue to push until we close that gap. This first part of the season isn’t packed with races, the calendar isn’t too dense, so it gives us some time to find solutions. We aren’t here to fight for P5 but you’ve got to take the positives. The race was enjoyable to drive, this track is probably in the top five of the year, incredibly fast and with fantastic grip.

Formula One – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, 2022 Saudi Arabian GP. Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton

Balance-wise, the car felt good, but just not fast enough. The end result isn’t great but the race was going relatively well, I was struggling with tyre temperatures at the beginning but then I started to gain on the cars ahead on the Medium tyre, it was a really good stint. I was keeping up with George and putting in some decent lap times considering how old the Hard tyres at the end. We were unlucky with how the VSC played out at the end but I was giving it everything. Yesterday made the weekend so much harder and I take that on my shoulders. It’s gutting but we need to keep fighting, it’s all we can do – I know I’ve got a great team and we’ll just keep our heads down.

Toto Wolff

Today’s race was the reflection of where we currently stand. The performance gaps seemed to be similar in qualifying and the race, and clearly there is a lot of work for us to do in order to get into the fight at the front. George managed his race well and scored the maximum we could have hoped for today without any incidents ahead of him. For Lewis, it was always going to be a difficult afternoon from P15. The first Safety Car came too early to run to the end on Medium, so we stayed out like other cars that started on Hard; then we missed the opportunity to box just before the pit lane closed under the VSC, which cost us a couple of positions. The overall picture is sobering, and it’s clear that we need to continue working hard if we wish to deliver a stronger performance in Melbourne.

Andrew Shovlin

It’s been a tough weekend and we need to go back and regroup ahead of Melbourne. The circuit here has been more difficult for us than Bahrain and we’re under no illusions where we stand at the moment but we need to remain focused and effective. We have an enormous challenge ahead of us, but over the last eight years the team has been able to get on top of every performance issue that we have faced. We’ve been able to do that because we have so many talented and dedicated people in the team both in Brackley and Brixworth. We certainly have our work cut out over the next weeks and months but we are more determined than ever to get ourselves back fighting at the front.

Formula One – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, 2022 Saudi Arabian GP. George Russell

In its eleventh year of existence, the success of the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport customer sports program remains unabated. In spite of the restrictions that were still in place because of the pandemic, the number of race participations was just as high as in the year 2019. From Brazil to Sweden, from Lithuania to Thailand: in 26 countries all over the world, the Customer Racing Teams participated in a total of 474 races. The international competitive capabilities of the race cars from Affalterbach and the reliable worldwide support convince existing and new customers in equal manner. As a result, over 200 Mercedes-AMG GT3s have been delivered worldwide.

24h Nürburgring, Mercedes-AMG GT3, #7 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed

Drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in DTM

No less than five teams embarked on a campaign for the title in DTM – the largest contingent of all manufacturers represented in the series. After convincing achievements, the first manufacturers’ championship win for Mercedes-AMG in the new GT3 era was already sealed during the penultimate race weekend. In the heart-stopping finale at Norisring, Mercedes-AMG Team HRT driver Maximilian Götz then added the icing on the cake, the 35-year-old securing the coveted DTM drivers’ title with a pair of race wins. In total, the teams with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 scored six wins and 18 podium results.

Accomplishments in endurance racing highlights

In January, the motorsport year had already started with a victory for the history books. In the Daytona 24-hour race, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport achieved a sensational 1-2 in the GTD class. Indy Dontje (NED), Philip Ellis (SUI), Maro Engel (GER) and Russell Ward (USA) won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with the #57 WINWARD Racing entry, followed by Mikael Grenier (CAN), Kenny Habul (AUS), Raffaele Marciello (ITA) and Luca Stolz (GER) in the #75 SunEnergy1 Racing car. It was the maiden victory for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the legendary American oval.

The other two 24-hour highlights during the season ended with podium results, too. In the ADAC TOTAL 24h-race at the Nürburgring, affected by changeable weather conditions, Maximilian Götz, Daniel Juncadella (ESP) and Raffaele Marciello drove the Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed car to third place after a spectacular finish. In the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa, the Silver Cup teams convinced with a 1-2: Madpanda Motorsport secured first place in class with drivers Rik Breukers (NED), Ezequiel Perez Companc (ARG), Patrick Kujala (FIN) and Ricardo Sanchez (MEX), followed by Toksport WRT with Marvin Dienst (GER), Axcil Jefferies (ZIM), Paul Petit (FRA) and Oscar Tunjo (COL).

A class win in the Indianapolis 8 Hour, a round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, by SunEnergy1 Racing was the successful conclusion to the season of the major endurance racing events. Mikael Grenier, Kenny Habul and Martin Konrad (AUT) finished the 8-hour race in first place of the Pro-Am class.

Manufacturers’ title in GT World Challenge

Mercedes-AMG Motorsport underlined the global competitiveness of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 with its repeated manufacturers’ title win in GT World Challenge. In the three continental series in America, Australia and Europe, the Customer Racing Teams racked up numerous podium finishes, resulting into the title in the competition with six renowned brands going to Affalterbach for the third consecutive time.

In the 15 sprint and endurance races with the strongly contested GT World Challenge Europe, a Mercedes-AMG GT3 was first across the finish line on five occasions. Four victories were achieved by Maro Engel and Luca Stolz for Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT, the two securing runner-up spot in the Sprint Cup drivers’ standings as a result. Felipe Fraga (BRA), Jules Gounon (FRA) and Raffaele Marciello, meanwhile, added the fifth race win for Mercedes-AMG Team AKKA ASP. Marciello claimed runner-up spot in the series’ overall standings as a result. With a total of ten class wins in the Silver and Pro-Am categories, Mercedes-AMG was the most successful brand in the field.

A lock-out of the top three in ADAC GT Masters

The Mercedes-AMG Motorsport teams also had outstanding achievements in the national top series. The undisputed season highlights include a lock-out of the top three in ADAC GT Masters. At Lausitzring, Team Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing, MANN-FILTER Team LANDGRAF – HTP/WWR and Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT delivered a clean sweep of the podium for the brand. With twelve podium finishes and three victories from the series’ total of seven race weekends, the drivers with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 consistently delivered good results, so that three teams still had chances of winning the title going into the finale at the Nürburgring. Eventually, Maro Engel and Luca Stolz (Mercedes-AMG Team Toksport WRT) concluded the season as the best-placed Mercedes-AMG duo in third position of the drivers’ standings.

Championship titles in Nürburgring Endurance Series

The Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) also contributed to the comprehensive collection of titles. In three classes, Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams ended up in first place of the final standigs. Janine Shoffner (USA) and GetSpeed Performance were crowned champions in the SP9 Am class. With the Mercedes-AMG GT4, Mustafa Mehmet Kaya (TUR) and Mike Stursberg (GER) of the BLACK FALCON Team TEXTAR won the SP8T category. The winners’ trophy in the additional GT4 class SP10 went to Marcel Marchewicz and Schnitzelalm Racing.

Prestigious victories in Asia

In Asia, Customer Racing Teams also delivered prestigious achievements. Once again, Mercedes-AMG was victorious in the legendary Macau Grand Prix: following an overnight effort by the Craft-Bamboo Racing pit crew, Darryl O‘Young secured victory in the Macau GT Cup at the Guia Circuit. Meanwhile, ENDLESS SPORTS sealed the class win with the Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the 24-hour race at Fuji.

Next to wins and titles in series all over the world, the customer teams and their drivers again had the possibility to secure the coveted trophies in the Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Championship this season. The winners in the brand-internal competition will be announced on Friday, 17^th December.

Christoph Sagemüller, head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport: “This year, we have further expanded one of the structural pillars of our involvement in motorsport. Next to the comprehensive Customer Racing Programme all over the world, there was also the successful start of our Mercedes-AMG GT3 in DTM. That this effort was rewarded with two titles in the maiden season right away is making us really happy! Thus, our customer sports system has proven itself once again. It is the foundation for our drivers and teams who again have represented the Mercedes-AMG brand all over the world in a first-class way. Behind all the titles and victories, there is a lot of effort and passion from everyone involved. For that, I would like to thank all the drivers, teams and the colleagues at Mercedes-AMG. Special thanks also go out to our strong partners. Without them, we wouldn’t have achieved these accomplishments.”

Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing: “This year has shown once again that no other Customer Racing Programme is as wide-ranging as ours. We have celebrated success at the most legendary race tracks of this world and we have won the GT World Challenge manufacturers’ title for the third time in a row. That is making us incredibly proud. Surely, the two DTM titles were the most emotional ones. Many thanks to all the drivers and teams who have contributed to these great achievements! My thanks also go out to HWA AG as the teams were able to rely on its worldwide support while running the cars.”

Remarkable facts & figures from the 2021 season:

• Successful track record: 93 race wins and over 30 title wins by the Customer Racing Teams in national and international race series
• Happy to run: in total, more than 200 drivers and over 90 teams raced the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and GT4 cars.
• Title collector: no less than four championship titles went to Denis Bulatov, driving for Eastside Motorsport in GTC Race: with the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT4, he won the Goodyear 60 drivers’ title, the GT Cup Sprint and GT4 Trophy teams’ titles and the GT4 Junior Trophy in GT Cup Sprint.
• A trio of talents: three title winners had yet to reach the age of 20 at the time of their championship win: the two 19-year-olds Théo Nouet and Sam Neary won the ADAC GT4 Germany and GT Cup Championship titles respectively. The youngest champion of 2021 was Diego Di Fabio, who won the GT4-Am sprint championship in Italian GT at the age of 18.
• Like father, like son: together with his father Richard Neary, Sam Neary was the most successful driver pairing of the season. With the ABBA Racing team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3, the two secured 14 race wins and 20 overall podium results in the GT Cup Championship and the British GT Championship.
• Thrilling finish: without any doubt, Customer Racing Team SPS automotive performance had the closest finish of the season in GT World Challenge Europe. In the duel for the Pro-Am class win at Misano, Valentin Pierburg missed out by just 0.001 seconds.

GT3 achievements in the 2021 season: 

GT4 achievements in the 2021 season:

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport take a 1-2 victory at Silverstone

• Lewis claimed his 80^th victory in Formula One, his seventh of the 2019 season and sixth at the British Grand Prix, making him the most successful driver at this event
• Valtteri came home in P2 to complete the 1-2 for the team
• Today’s result marks the seventh win for Mercedes at the British Grand Prix, equalling the Italian Grand Prix as most successful race for the team
• Lewis (223 points) leads the Drivers’ Championship by 39 points from Valtteri (184 points)
• Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport (407 points) lead Ferrari (243 points) by 164 points in the Constructors’ Championship
• John Owen, Chief Designer, accepted the Constructors’ trophy on behalf of the team

Formel 1 – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Großer Preis von Großbritannien 2019. Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas
Formula One – Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, British GP 2019. Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas

Lewis Hamilton

I remember my first win here in 2008 and the feeling that I had coming out of Brooklands and going down the straight and seeing the crowd, it felt so reminiscent of that today – the excitement and happiness and joy that I felt were exactly the same as back then. I’ ve done so many races now, and you would think that after so many races you’d get used to it and the feeling would numb down, but it felt like it was the first win I ever had. Valtteri drove a very strong race and we had a really good fight in the beginning; I nearly got him going into Turn 7, but he was next to me and I couldn’t really close the door. After that I backed off a little and waited for the pit stops, hoping that I could maybe overtake him in the pits. I extended my first stint for a few more laps, then the Safety Car came out and that was perfect timing for me as I came back out in front of Valtteri. I’m really grateful to all of those people that have helped me achieve this today; I have this incredible team behind me and it’s really amazing to be a part of it, to be breaking down walls and records and pushing the limits and boundaries every weekend.

Valtteri Bottas

I had a good start of the line and then a good fight with Lewis in the first few laps, which was really enjoyable. After my pit stop, I was controlling the gap to Lewis, but then the Safety Car came out and he effectively got a free stop and came out ahead of me. I was hoping that there might be another opportunity in the race, but I knew the chances were slim because I had to do another stop to change to a different compound anyways. The tyre life was ultimately much better than we had thought, so a one-stop would have been possible, but our simulations before the race had predicted a two-stop to be the fastest option. I’m disappointed because the win was definitely possible for me today, but I can definitely take positives from this weekend – I had a strong Qualifying and my race pace also looked very good. It was also another strong weekend from the team, to take a 1-2 after a difficult race in Austria is a great result. Congratulations to Lewis for the win, he drove well and had massive support from the local fans. I’m looking forward to the next race in Hockenheim and will give it everything to fight back.

Toto Wolff

To bounce back from our worst weekend of the season with a 1-2 at our home race is a great feeling. It was exciting to see our drivers fight hard on the track; it was a tough battle, but there’s a lot of respect between the two of them and they always left each other enough space. I think both our drivers merited to win today. Valtteri had a really strong weekend; he outqualified Lewis at Silverstone, he led the race, he defended spectacularly, but the Safety Car came out in the wrong moment for him. Lewis was struggling a bit yesterday but drove a very strong race today and even managed to get the point for the fastest lap on 30 laps old Hard tyres; we’re still not quite sure how he managed that. It’s a great result for him in front of his home crowd. We’re now looking forward to our second home race in Hockenheim in two weeks.

James Allison

This was a fantastic result for the team and a brilliant performance from our drivers and car alike. As a team, we were very, very strong today but that didn’t make life easy on the pit wall: our two drivers were fighting hammer and tongs in the first stint, and likely would have been for the whole race but for the intervention of the Safety Car, which fell unfortunately for Valtteri. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic end result for Lewis in his home race and a really strong drive from Valtteri. After the close fight in qualifying, it was gratifying to see that our race pace was strong and that we were able to repeat the competitiveness we had seen on Friday during the long runs.

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton clinch a memorable 1-2 finish after a thrilling race in Melbourne, Australia.

• Nico took his 15th career victory today – his second at the Melbourne Grand Prix Cicuit
• Lewis claimed his 88th Formula One podium to complete a Silver Arrows 1-2
• After a poor start dropped them from the front row to P3 (Nico) and P7 (Lewis), strong drives and good strategy calls saw both recover to cling on from a hard-charging Vettel
• Nico (25) leads the Drivers’ Championship by 7 points from Lewis (18) in P2
• MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS (43) lead Ferrari (15) by 28 points in the Constructors’ Championship

Formula One – MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Australian GP 2016. Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg

Nico Rosberg

That was a perfect race for me. The start was tricky, as I was on the dirty side of the grid and Vettel managed to be ahead. He did a really good job at the start – but we chose the perfect strategy by going onto the medium tyre after the red flag. A big thanks to the team on the pit wall for that, to everyone back at the factories for this fantastic car and to everyone back in Europe who woke up so early to tune in for the race. I hope it was a good show for you! We can enjoy this moment for sure – but we know now just how strong those red cars will be this season, so we cannot afford to relax. I’m really looking forward to the next races and hopefully some more exciting battles. Finally, I also have to say it was a big relief to see Fernando walk away from his shunt. It shows how incredible the safety of these cars is now, which is great to see.

Formula One – MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Australian GP 2016. Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton

I’d had a perfect weekend in every way up until the lights went out and felt confident heading into the race. I got a bit of wheelspin off the line then got pushed wide at the first corner, so from there it was just about recovering. But these things happen and I’m grateful for the way I was able to fight back through. P2 isn’t bad in terms of damage limitation after a start like that. I spent a long time stuck behind one of the Toro Rossos and there wasn’t a lot I could do about it as he was on a quicker tyre. I could just see the others pulling away, so the safety car definitely helped by bunching us all up again. I was already on a one-stop strategy and, to be honest, I don’t know why everyone else didn’t do the same on the medium. I’m happy they didn’t, as I probably would have finished a lot further back. In any case, the team did a great job to help us pull it back and there’s still 20 races to go, so I’m feeling pretty chilled. I’ve had far worse starts to the season, so I’ll take that today and head into the next one looking up.

Formula One – MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Australian GP 2016. Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport

First of all, a big relief to see Fernando walk away from that shunt. The race itself was extremely tense throughout – a real cliffhanger and a great way to show what Formula One is really about. We didn’t get it right at the start. The drivers were slow away from the line then touched at the first corner, so we were forced into recovery mode. Our plan from there had been to put Nico on a two stop and Lewis a one stop strategy before the red flag came out. We did the maths and opted to go with one set of mediums to the end, with the drivers on the knife edge of endurance and performance. Managing tyres and temperatures became a big challenge, with debris causing an overheating brake caliper that almost forced us to retire Nico at one stage. Thankfully that was not the case and he led Lewis home for a hard-fought 1-2. A perfect result to start the year, a great job from the drivers to manage and recover the race, fantastic work on the pit wall to give them the right strategy to do so and an incredible team effort from everybody at the factories to get us here. We must now sort our starts and look to carry out momentum into Bahrain.

Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical)

What can you say after a race like that? Absolutely fantastic to get a 1-2 at the first race of the season – particularly after we made life very difficult for ourselves with a pair of poor starts. After the red flag we opted to run the medium tyre to the end and expected others to do the same – which would have made the win a very big ask, let alone a 1-2. Of course, we can look back and enjoy it now – but it was quite stressful at the time! It made for a great spectacle, so I hope the fans enjoyed it. Overall, we can be extremely happy today. Congratulations to everyone back at Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart. Together, they’ve produced a car which has given us the perfect start to the season in very exciting circumstances.

The 2015 DTM season reaches its climax in September. But even before the final three race weekends of the year at Oschersleben, the Nürburgring and Hockenheim, the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team are providing an insight into what lies ahead for the race series, revealing the new car that they will enter for the 2016 campaign.

Design adaptations to the 2016 Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM first began last year. The dynamic-looking headlights and the twin blade grille typical of the AMG are two of the car’s most striking features. The first tests with the new vehicle will take place during the winter as part of preparations for the 2016 season.

Mercedes-Benz, DTM, Mercedes-AMG DTM Team, Mercedes-AMG Edition One

Long list of previous successful models

The 2016 DTM car to be deployed by the Mercedes-AMG DTM team follows on from successful predecessors that include the most successful car in DTM history – the AMG Mercedes C-Class with which Mercedes-AMG drivers secured 85 victories in 159 races.

“The new Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé will again set new standards for driving dynamics and design. So, the vehicle provides the ideal basis for our DTM car,” said Head of Mercedes-AMG DTM Ulrich Fritz. “I’m already looking forward to seeing the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM compete in 2016. Our aim with this vehicle is, of course, to continue the Mercedes-Benz success story in the DTM.”

Gary Paffett is contesting his twelfth DTM season in 2015. Over the years, the 2005 champion has raced the AMG Mercedes CLK, the AMG Mercedes C-Class, the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM. Paffett: “The 2016 version of the Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM looks really good. Obviously, many parts are similar to those on the current car, but the new shape is really cool and simply shows that the Mercedes-Benz and AMG road versions are getting better and more beautiful with every stage in their evolution. I’m already looking forward to climbing into the new car. Hopefully, we can fight for lots of wins and maybe even win the title with it.”

The new Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé will again set new standards for driving dynamics and design

Edition 1: Inspired by motor racing

The graphic design of the IAA-launch version of the 2016 DTM car has also served as inspiration for special models of the new Mercedes AMG C 63 Coupé and the C 63 S Coupé which are available as Edition 1 market launches. Customer demands are catered for by two different treatments of the exterior. The first design is particularly striking and available only on the S model – an exclusive colour combination of designo selenite grey magno and yellow foil treatment with black wheels and rim flanges picked out in yellow. Yellow sports stripes are to be found on bonnet, roof, boot lid and on the sides above the sill trims. The special model comes complete with performance seats and aerodynamic package, emphasising its motor racing pedigree.

The AMG aerodynamic package in high-gloss black adds to the race-inspired look of both models. The extra large front spoiler, AMG-specific side skirts and fins to the sides on the rear apron, AMG-specific rear diffuser and spoiler lip on the boot lid not only reduce lift but also sharpen the visual appearance.

That unmistakeable racing feel continues in the interior. The AMG Performance seats are upholstered in nappa leather. In addition, the seats are contoured to give added lateral support, particularly under fast cornering. The flat-bottomed performance steering wheel in DINAMICA microfibre enables the driver to always have the C 63 Coupé safely under control.

The Edition 1 offers impressive driving dynamics at the highest level. All the right technical elements are there. Striking flared wheel arches to front and rear, a wider track and larger wheels give the new the C 63 Coupé a powerful appearance and also serve as the basis for highly responsive longitudinal and lateral dynamics. The AMG 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine, producing either 350 kW (476 hp) or 375 kW (510 hp), guarantees spectacular performance, aided by the technologically advanced AMG RIDE CONTROL-specific suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers, AMG DYNAMIC SELECT-specific driver programmes, a locking differential on the rear axle and the dynamic engine mounts of the C 63 S Coupé.

2016 Mercedes-AMG DTM Race Car

Positive innovation during the 2015 DTM season

There have been many innovations in the DTM already this year. The touring car series began the season opener at Hockenheim with a new race format. The return to two races per weekend (one on Saturday and Sunday) was well received by fans. Overall, 367,000 spectators were at the track to watch the first six race weekends of the year, while 123,000 spectators came through the gates over the weekend to watch the two victories of the Mercedes-AMG DTM team in Nuremberg.

Live broadcasts on ARD’s Sportschau also proved very popular during the first half of the season with some 13.8 million viewers tuning in to watch qualifying and the race live on ARD TV over the first five race weekends – that’s 23% up on the previous year.

Ulrich Fritz: Five questions about the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

What are the most striking features of the new DTM car?

Ulrich Fritz: We have used the unique, sporty design language of the street version of the new C-Class Coupé on the DTM version. Striking features like the dynamic design of the headlights and also the typical AMG twin blade grille of the C 63 AMG Coupé stand out immediately.

When did development work on the new design first begin?

Ulrich Fritz: The DTM car again takes its design and technological cues from the AMG line of the new C-Class Coupé. We took the first steps in adapting designs for the new DTM car last year.

How much development work has gone into the new car?

Ulrich Fritz: The regulations severely limit areas for development, so a large number of components have been taken from its tried and tested predecessor. Obviously, in the DTM, we seek to continuously optimise the overall package and, consequently, the vehicle passes through various development processes and stages during the course of its entire life cycle as deemed necessary.

What changes have been made to the aerodynamics, or do homologation needs perhaps dictate that nothing can be altered?

Ulrich Fritz: Due to the regulations, changes to the aerodynamics below what is known as the design line are not permitted. The vehicle’s aerodynamics above the design line will, of course, be adapted to the new shape.

When will the first test runs with the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM be held?

Ulrich Fritz: We plan to undertake the first test outings with the car as part of winter testing in preparation for the 2016 DTM season.

Inspired by motor racing

Mercedes-AMG are launching the special Edition 1 C 63 Coupé. The exclusive colour combination in designo selenite grey magno with yellow foil treatment and black wheels with rim flanges picked out in yellow reflects the graphic design of the IAA-launch version of the Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM racing coupé which will contest the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) next year. The special model’s equipment with performance seats and aerodynamic package emphasises its motor racing pedigree.

The new Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé and the C 63 S Coupé are also available as Edition 1 specials to mark their launch. The unusual combination of exclusive design and equipment are inspired by the look of the future Mercedes-AMG racing coupé which will compete in 2016 in the internationally acclaimed German Touring Car Masters (DTM).

Customer demands are catered for by two different designs for the exterior. The first design, exclusively available on the S model, is particularly striking. The colour scheme in matt designo selenite grey magno with yellow foil treatment adopts the look of the 2016 C 63 DTM IAA launch version, emphasising the brand’s motor racing pedigree. Yellow sports stripes are to be found on bonnet, roof, boot lid and the sides above the sill trims.

The ultra-light, matt-black AMG Performance forged wheels of 5-twin-spoke design with yellow painted rim flanges are also highly distinctive. At the front, 9.0 J x 19 rims with 255/35 R 19 tyres are used, while the car is equipped with 10.5 J x 20 rims and 285/30 R 20 tyres to the rear. The special sports tyres offer a noticeably increased level of grip on dry roads. The Edition 1 C 63 S Coupé is fitted as standard with the AMG ceramic composite high-performance braking system which provides the highest possible deceleration values and a lower unsprung mass, while also increasing racetrack performance.

The exterior of the second model of the Edition 1 is more conservative. The sport stripes are in matt graphite grey and the rim flanges of the matt black forged wheels of cross-spoke design have a high-gloss finish. Sport tyres and a ceramic composite high-performance brake system are an option on this model. Furthermore, this version is available in all exterior paintwork finishes.

On both models, an AMG aerodynamic package in high-gloss black adds to the race‑inspired look. The extra large front spoiler, the AMG-specific side skirts and fins to the sides on the rear apron, the AMG-specific rear diffuser and spoiler lip on the boot lid not only reduce lift but also sharpen the visual appearance.

The AMG Night package with chrome tailpipes is also part of the standard range of equipment on the Edition 1 and features the following:

• radiator grille with twin blades in silver chrome
• A-wing on front apron and A-wing trim strip in high-gloss black
• inserts on side-skirts in high-gloss black
• window door edge trim strip and window trims in high-gloss black
• rear skirt trim strip in high-gloss black
• exterior mirror pods in high-gloss black
• insulating dark-tinted glass from B-pillar
• exhaust system with two twin chromed tailpipes

That unmistakeable racing feeling continues in the interior. The AMG Performance seats are upholstered in nappa leather and yellow is again used in the contrast stitching of the unique diamond pattern. In addition, the seats are contoured to give added lateral support, particularly under fast cornering. Yellow contrast stitching can also be found on the door centre panels, armrests, on the steering wheel rim and on the door edge mouldings. More distinctive yellow is used on the instrument binnacle, on the AMG-exclusive, IWC-design analogue clock and on the floor mats. The flat-bottomed performance steering wheel in DINAMICA microfibre enables the driver to always have the C 63 Coupé safely under control. The matt-carbon decorative trim in the centre console finally sends out a clear message: The Edition 1 represents impressive driving dynamics at the highest level.

All the right technical elements are there. Striking flared wheel arches to front and rear, a wider track and larger wheels give the new the C 63 Coupé a powerful appearance and also serve as the basis for highly responsive longitudinal and lateral dynamics. The AMG 4.0-litre V8 biturbo engine, producing either 350 kW (476 hp) or 375 kW (510 hp), guarantees spectacular performance, aided by the technologically advanced AMG RIDE CONTROL-specific suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers, AMG DYNAMIC SELECT-specific driver programmes, locking differential on the rear axle and the dynamic engine mounts of the C 63 S Coupé.

The development of the Mercedes-Benz DTM cars

1988-1993: AMG Mercedes 190 E (2.5-16 Evo 2)

Mercedes-Benz posted 50 DTM victories with the 190 between 1988 and 1993. In the 1992 season, the 190 E 2.5-16 Evo 2 won 16 of 24 races and took the top three places in the drivers’ standings. Klaus Ludwig won the first DTM championship for Mercedes-Benz with it. Ellen Lohr in the 190 E 2.5-16 Evo 2 remains the only woman so far to win a DTM race.

2000-2003: AMG Mercedes CLK

In the year 2000, Mercedes-Benz lined up in the ‘new DTM’ with the AMG Mercedes CLK. Mercedes-Benz drivers took the CLK to 30 DTM victories between 2000 and 2003. The CLK won eight out of ten races in the 2001 season. During the 2003 season, it managed to post nine wins from ten races.

1994-1996 & 2004-2011: AMG Mercedes C-Class

The AMG Mercedes C-Class is the most successful car in DTM history, having achieved 85 victories in 159 races (1994/1995 and 1996 in the ITC International Touring Car Championship which is an offshoot of the DTM, and since 2004 in the DTM). So far, around half of all Mercedes-Benz victories since 1988 have been achieved by the C-Class, of which three generations of the model saw duty, starting in1994.

2012-2014: DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé

In 2012, the DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé secured a one-two win in its very first race at Hockenheim. Overall, Mercedes-Benz achieved eight wins, 22 podiums, seven poles and ten fastest laps with the C-Coupé.

Since 2015: Mercedes-AMG C 63 DTM

Since the start of the 2015 DTM season, the Mercedes-AMG DTM team has lined up with the Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM in the most popular international touring car series. Mercedes-AMG drivers posted three victories, twelve podiums, one pole position and three fastest race laps with the car at the first six race weekends.

While some of you may think that you’ve mastered the art of race car driving thanks to the endless hours you’ve put in behind your PS4 and XBox 1 controller, you may want to watch the video of those that thought the very same thing and rethink your driving prowess.

Lewis Hamilton achieved his fourth victory of the season today with Nico Rosberg finishing just 0.636s behind in second place.

• MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS took the first one-two finish for a team at the Spanish Grand Prix since 2009

• Today’s result marks a fourth consecutive one-two finish for the team; a feat last achieved by Mercedes-Benz in 1955

• Lewis began the race on option tires, stopping for a second set of options on lap 18 and primes on lap 43

• Nico also started on options, switching to primes on lap 21 and then back to options on lap 45

Mercedes AMG Petronas

Lewis Hamilton

It’s fantastic to get my first win here after eight attempts and it’s really difficult to put that feeling into words right now. We have our bosses from Mercedes-Benz here today and it’s great for the team that we were able to give them a one-two finish. In all my career, I’ve never before had a car or a performance gap like this. Nico drove a fantastic race and I struggled to keep him behind, but I just managed it at the end. I had the same problems with the car this afternoon that I found yesterday in qualifying: I couldn’t attack the corners properly because of snap oversteer and that’s where Nico was catching me. I’m just so proud of this team: we are looking very strong and I’m enjoying every moment and every step of the way. There’s still a long way to go this season, though, so we are staying humble, getting our heads down and working hard. I still have a bit more time to find from the car because it’s very, very close with Nico, so I have to keep working on that. But it’s a great feeling to be leading the championship.

Nico Rosberg

The race was so close at the end today and with one more lap, I could have tried to overtake Lewis for the first time. My start was bad. It is a weakness that we have and we will try to improve. Once it was clear that I was in second place, we chose to go with the slower strategy using the prime tires in the middle stint to get a shot at Lewis at the end when I was on the options. It was very close but not quite close enough so naturally I’m disappointed but I can take a lot of positives from this weekend. We have an amazing car and my pace was really strong here so I just need to find an extra little edge to capitalise on. The next race is Monaco which is not only my home race but has some great memories from my victory there last year.

Toto Wolff

That was a fantastic afternoon of sport. We have two incredible drivers who are capable of fighting until the last corner of the last lap to achieve success. That was the case again today and they were incredibly closely matched in spite of running different strategies in the race. Their battle is so intense and so close that I am sure it will carry on all the way to the final race. We will savour this victory tonight and enjoy our success – but from tomorrow, our focus is on Monaco. We had a very strong result there last year and our target will be to improve on that this year.

Paddy Lowe

Both cars made a great start and got through Turn One cleanly without incident. From then on, it was all about some incredibly close racing between two drivers, with an hour and a half of constant work between them and their engineers to try and find any possible edge. It’s great to watch both sides of the garage working so well to get the best for their driver. Lewis and Nico both delivered great drives and to see a gap of 0.6s after 66 laps of flat out racing just about sums it up. I would like to thank all the team in Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart for the huge effort that went into creating such a competitive car at this pivotal and very difficult race of the season. We are now looking forward to Monaco which brings some very different challenges for us to tackle.

The DTM embarked on its 30th anniversary season this weekend in front of 75,000 spectators. Football legend and Laureus ambassador Franz Beckenbauer, plus MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg were among the prominent guests at the home race of Mercedes-Benz.

DTM Season Opener

Mercedes junior Pascal Wehrlein (gooix Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) finished the first race of the season in eleventh position. Fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Gary Paffett (EURONICS Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) came home behind him to place twelfth. Contesting his first DTM race since his title win in 2010, Paul Di Resta, (DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) was 14th. Christian Vietoris (Original-Teile Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) ended the season opener in P15.

DTM rookie Vitaly Petrov (DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) came home in P17 on his DTM debut at Hockenheim. Fellow Mercedes drivers Robert Wickens (FREE MAN’S WORLD Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) and Daniel Juncadella (Petronas Mercedes AMG C-Coupé) placed 18th and 19th respectively. The next race: The second round of the DTM takes place on the weekend of May 17th-18th at the 3.696 km Oschersleben track.

Comments after the Race

Pascal Wehrlein (19, Germany, gooix Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
11th
“That was a disappointing start to the season, unfortunately. I did not have the necessary pace and I found the going very tough, especially just at the start of the race. The car’s balance changed dramatically during the race, and I felt pretty comfortable in the car in the end and was able to post faster lap times. It’s a shame, but there are no points for eleventh place. Now we must all put our heads together and improve the car before the next race in two weeks’ time, and then strike back in Oschersleben.”

Gary Paffett (33, England, EURONICS Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
12th
“Today was tough for us, and starting from P14 on the grid did not exactly put me in the best position for the race. Sure, I still moved up a couple of places, but unfortunately was off the pace, just like in qualifying. We must continue to develop the car so that we can secure points in the next race.”

Paul Di Resta (28, Scotland, DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
14th
“That was a very difficult race for me. I’m going to have to up my game in order to slot back into the DTM on a par with my team-mates. More importantly, however, we need to improve as manufacturers. We’ve now got two weeks in which to recover and then make the best of it. We’re somewhat down compared to BMW and Audi, but I have absolute confidence in the team that we will strike back and I hope that we can succeed soon.”

Christian Vietoris (25, Germany, Original-Teile Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
15th
“It was obvious that starting on the option tyres would not be easy. Nevertheless, I got the best out of the car and the strategy. I just missed turning out to be the best driver for Mercedes in the end. Of course, this was not the result that we’d hoped for, but we’ll keep pushing, and hopefully, we can start afresh in Oschersleben.”

Vitaly Petrov (29, Russia, DTM Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
17th
“Considering this was my first DTM race, I’m satisfied with my performance. We were competitive on both sets of tyres, and I was able to keep up with the people around me. I pushed a bit too hard at times on my first stint because I wanted to see how far I could go. After the pit stop, my lap times consistently improved and I was involved in a few interesting scraps. The main thing for me this weekend was to understand how qualifying and the race work in the DTM. I think I’ve managed to do this. Now we need to improve the car, then I believe we will be in a position to go on the attack again at Oschersleben.”

Robert Wickens (25, Canada, FREE MAN’S WORLD Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
18th
“We started the race on option tyres, which enabled me to overtake a few cars. After the mandatory tyre change, we no longer had the speed to finish among the points. I hope that we’ll be seeing a completely different Mercedes performance at Oschersleben.”

Daniel Juncadella (22, Spain, Petronas Mercedes AMG C-Coupé):
19th
“I wasn’t able to match the other drivers for speed today, and I lost contact with the leaders right at the start of the race. We were especially lacking in straight-line speed. This has not been a good start to our season, but we’ll continue to work hard.”

Wolfgang Schattling, Head of DTM Management:
“Our congratulations to BMW and Marco Wittmann on their opening win. Unfortunately, the first race of the season was disappointing for us. Our team has worked hard over the winter and certainly deserved a better result today. It’s obvious that our level of performance is not what it should be. We have to improve and continue to work hard. We now have a fortnight in which to considerably improve our performance before the next race in Oschersleben. That’s not much time and it won’t be an easy task. I am sure, though, that we will find a solution so that we can attack again very soon.”

Race results: Top Ten

Drivers’ Championship: Top Three

Teams’ Championship: Top Three

Manufacturers’ Championship: Top Three

A trio of prominent guests are due to attend the DTM season opener on the weekend of May 3rd/4th at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. Football legend and Laureus Ambassador Franz Beckenbauer will be joining Germany’s top contenders for the Formula 1 title, namely current championship leader Nico Rosberg and fourth-placed Nico Hülkenberg.

Sahara Force India Mercedes driver Nico Hülkenberg has been booked in for Saturday when qualifying takes place in the world’s most popular touring car series. Fans at the circuit will have two opportunities to see Hülkenberg close up during his visit: he will be signing autographs and talking about his Formula 1 season so far first at Mercedes-Benz Erlebniswelt (situated behind the Mercedes grandstand) and later at a ‘Meet the Drivers’ session in front of the Mercedes-Benz hospitality suite.

On Sunday, it will be MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver Nico Rosberg’s turn to entertain the fans in a joint appearance with Franz Beckenbauer at the Mercedes-Benz Erlebniswelt complex. They will both be giving interviews on the stage behind the Mercedes grandstand and will then follow up by signing autographs. Immediately afterwards, Rosberg will be putting in a number of demo laps at the wheel of the original Formula 1 Silver Arrow, namely the W 196 in which Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1954 and 1955 Formula 1 world championships. Nico Rosberg has an earlier appointment on Sunday 4th May at 9:30am in the Baden-Württemberg Center when he will be answering questions from the press.

Timetable for the DTM season opener at Hockenheim:

Nico Rosberg: “I’ll be fascinated to see what happens in the DTM season opener at Hockenheim. New rules, revised specifications and no fewer than seven champions on the grid should make for an exciting season. Obviously, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for my fellow Mercedes-Benz drivers as they launch into the new campaign. Whenever time permits between the Formula 1 races, I keep myself updated on what’s going on in the DTM – it’s series I know well from when my father was a competitor. I’m really looking forward to seeing the crowds of fans at Hockenheim and especially thrilled about the prospect of driving the original Formula 1 Silver Arrow that Juan Manuel Fangio used to race in. It’s always a very special feeling to drive one of the legendary Silver Arrows.”

The MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team had a very successful weekend with Nico Rosberg taking home a first place finish at the Australian Grand Prix.

Starting from position 3 on the gird, Nico claimed first place right off the line and led every lap thereafter, winning by 24 seconds. He made two pit stops on laps 12 and 38, running a tyre strategy of option/option/prime, and set the fastest lap on lap 19. Rosberg’s win marked thw 100th F1 vicotry for a Mercedes-Benz engine – Juan Manuel Fangio was behind the wheel for the first win in 1954.

Teammate Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire his car after two laps owing to a misfiring cylinder, which had cost engine power since the start.

Nico Rosberg

That was an incredible day for us. To start the season with a win is unbelievable and I have to say a big thank you to everybody who was involved in building our car over the winter. I always dreamed of having such a strong Silver Arrow and now it seems we are there. In the race, everything went perfectly for me. My start was great and I was able to push from there until the end, with our fuel consumption well under control. However, despite our success today, we also know that there is still some work to do. We saw over the weekend that reliability is still a concern and it prevented us from having a strong two-car finish. We have two weeks to improve that. I am very much looking forward to Malaysia and I would love to race again tomorrow!

Lewis Hamilton

My start didn’t feel great today and I had a lot less power than usual when pulling away, so it was obvious immediately that something was wrong. It looks like we only had five cylinders firing and, while I wanted to keep going, we had to play safe and save the engine. It’s unfortunate but that’s racing and we will recover from this. We have a great car and engine, and the pace was really strong today as Nico clearly showed. Big congratulations to him and the team for achieving the win, it’s a fantastic result for us. Of course I’m disappointed with my own race and when I think about all the work that has gone on back at our factories, it’s tough to have a costly hiccup. However we have achieved an incredible amount to get here, to be at the front and to be so competitive; we will bounce back and learn from this. There is a very long way to go this season.

Toto Wolff

It was a day of light and shadow for us. Nico did a perfect job this afternoon: a great start and a really controlled drive all the way to the final lap. He delivered the car’s performance how he needed to, when he needed to, and took a very composed and deserved victory. On the other side, we were disappointed to lose Lewis so early after a misfiring cylinder forced him to retire. He had done everything right this weekend until that point and it was a situation beyond his control. We know that reliability will be crucial to this long season and we will be working hard to improve the situation for the race in Malaysia. Finally, this victory has a very special meaning for us, too. I would like to dedicate it to Michael, who has been in all our thoughts this weekend. He will keep fighting, as only he knows how, and we are sending all our strength to him today.

Paddy Lowe

Today’s race was all about delivering on the potential we had shown in testing and on the hard work that has been put into this project since its beginning. It was fantastic to get the win on behalf of the hundreds of people in Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart who have contributed to our performance over several years. A special mention must also go to Ross. I have come relatively late to this campaign and would like to thank him for the contribution he made in the years leading to this point, which we can now build upon. It was hugely disappointing for all of us that Lewis was not able to convert his pole position but this is a day to focus on our success rather than failures. We know that this season will be more of a marathon than a sprint and that reliability will play a decisive role. After taking a moment to savour this win, we will be hard at work to improve further for the next race in Malaysia.

Since 1894 products of the Mercedes, Benz and Mercedes-Benz brands have been dominating the motor sport scene on international tracks.  Partaking in the world’s first-ever car race in 1894, the first Grand Prix victory of a Mercedes at Nice Race Week in 1901 and dominating the sport with an impressive one-two-three finish of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in the Grand Prix of Lyon in 1914, racing is an integral part of the Mercedes-Benz brand.

Take a walk through 120 years of motor sport history in the photo gallery below and make sure to read the photo descriptions for an in-depth look at each photo.

The AMG Customer Teams managed impressive finishes at this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour Race. The SLS AMG GT3 of HTP Motorsport with start number 84 finished the race with Maximilian Buhk in second place, a mere 0.4138 seconds behind the winning Ferrari after 296 laps. The SLS AMG GT3 team with Start number 63 of Erebus Motorsport ended the race in the third position. The sister car with start number 1 of last year’s winner Bernd Schneider came home seventh.

SLS AMG GT3 in the Bathurst 12 Hour Race

The runner-up race gullwing of HTP Motorsport was driven by Maximilian Buhk, Thomas Jäger (both GER) and Harold Primat (FRA). After a training accident on Friday, the team of HTP Motorsport succeeded in fixing up the vehicle again over night. Start number 84 started from position eleven on the grid and managed to reach the second position but subsequently was slowed down by a technical problem. The gap again was overcome by constantly fast lap times. Eventually, Maximilian Buhk reached the leading group and managed to conquer the top in the last third of the race. An hour prior to the end of the race, the SLS AMG GT3 lost its leading position, because a change of the front brake pads became necessary in the last pit stop.

Start number 63 of Erebus Motorsport, piloted by Will Davison, Jack LeBrocq and Greg Crick (all AUS), started from the third position on the grid. An encounter with a kangaroo on the race track forced the race gullwing to make a pit stop. The mechanics successfully carried out the necessary provisional reparation of the front section, but subsequently, the drivers had to struggle with aerodynamic problems. The sister car with start number 1 and the German driver trio Bernd Schneider, Maro Engel and Nico Bastian at the wheel started the race from the pole position, after Maro Engel was able to score a new track record for closed race vehicles in the qualifying. The SLS AMG GT3 confidently took the lead in the race for a long time. However, it lost precious time after a technical problem and fell behind.

This year’s Bathurst 12 Hours on the 6.213 kilometres long Mount Panorama Circuit was characterised by numerous safety car phases, commanding position fights and many changes of the leading position.

Bathurst 12 Hour Race

Thomas Jäger: “It was an unbelievable race for us. No one in the HTP Motorsport team would have expected that we could still win a podium position after the training accident. We would have liked to end the race winning the first position, but the Ferrari was just somewhat faster towards the end. Thanks to everybody in the team for the extremely strong performance during the entire weekend.”

Tobias Moers, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “Another pleasing result after the promising start of the season in Dubai. Congratulations to the customer teams HTP Motorsport and Erebus Motorsport for their strong performance in Bathurst.”

Jochen Bitzer, head of AMG Customer Sports: “It was a truly thrilling race with commanding motorsports on Mount Panorama. Having two SLS AMG GT3 on the podium and each of the three participating SLS AMG GT3 in the top ten is, all in all, an excellent result. The victory was within reach but unfortunately, in the end, a gap of 0.4138 seconds separated us from the first position. I want to thank the AMG customer teams of HTP Motorsport and Erebus Motorsport and all drivers. Congratulations to the team of Maranello Motorsport for today’s victory in the race.”

Bathurst 12 Hour Race

An overview of the results of the race*:

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS kicked off its pre-season testing program at the Circuito de Jerez Tuesday, with Lewis Hamilton taking the wheel of the F1 W05 for the first time. Lewis’ best time of 1:27.820 set the early pace at the Spanish circuit, before a front wing failure on the following lap curtailed his track time shortly before midday.

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Jerez, Launch, F1 W05, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton

• The F1 W05 emerged for its first run at precisely 09:00 CET when the track was declared open
• Lewis completed four single-lap install runs in the early stages, before gradually building into longer stints
• A front wing failure on his 18th lap ended Lewis’ running for the day early
• Nico will be in the car tomorrow for the second day of pre-season testing at Jerez.

Lewis Hamilton 2014

Lewis Hamilton

For me it’s an incredibly positive start to be the first car out on track and completing a good number of laps. Other teams have been going out for single-lap runs, starting a few hours after we had first hit the track, so to have started running through our test programme was very encouraging. The car feels quite good, especially considering it’s so early in our programme, so overall it’s been a positive day. Of course, it’s unfortunate to end the day early when everyone has worked so hard and we had looked like easily completing the most mileage of anyone here today, but we’ll make that track time back and it’s better to have these things happen now than in Melbourne. I’m really proud of the team for what they’ve achieved in getting us here and we’ll keep pushing.

MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Jerez, Launch, F1 W05, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton

Toto Wolff

Incidents like this happen and that’s why we are here, to find them before we go racing. We completed 18 laps and got through our system checks successfully. The car now needs to be repaired, which is a challenge in itself at the start of winter testing with regards to the number of spare parts available. However, it’s our job to cope with those challenges.

Paddy Lowe

To conclude our day’s running with a front wing failure was an unfortunate end to what had, to that point, been a very positive start to our winter. We were the first team to send a car out on track, on the dot at 0900 this morning, and were gradually extending the length of the runs when the incident occurred. Lewis’ initial feedback was positive once he was able to complete some timed laps, which is a promising indicator for the basic package. Concerning the failure itself, we are still analysing its cause, and this process, coupled with the repairs to the car, have brought an end to our running today. The teams at Brackley and Brixworth did a fantastic job to prepare the car for running this morning and tomorrow we hope to start adding to what is already a useful number of laps completed. There is a lot of data for us to analyse overnight and the learning curve this winter will be very steep.

Nico Rosberg 2014

TIMES

Shortly before Christmas Eve 1913, British racing driver L. G. Hornsted set two new world records at Brooklands, for the half-mile and the kilometre. He was driving a Benz 200 hp, a modified variant of the “BlitzenBenz”, or “LightningBenz” – already a legend at the time. In January 1914, the Britain, born in 1884, added seven more records to his tally of victories.

200 hp Benz, called “Blitzen-Benz”, a record-setting car from the year 1909

What a great Christmas present to himself: three days before Christmas Eve 1913, British racing driver Lydston Granville Hornsted, better known by his initials L. G. or his nickname Cupid, headed out onto the track at Brooklands, southwest of London, to set new records in his Benz 200 hp. The average speeds achieved by Hornsted were 113.8 km/h over the half-mile (804,67 metres) and 118.8 km/h for the kilometre, both from a standing start. These world records are just two highlights in the extraordinary history of the Benz 200 hp racing cars, which became known as the “BlitzenBenz”, primarily in the United States of America, during the years 1910 to 1913. Hornsted’s performance was also evocative of the legendary, record-breaking drives of Victor Hémery in the first Benz 200 hp racer in November 1909, when the car broke the 200 km/h barrier. Hémery put in average speeds of 202.648 km/h over the kilometre distance and 205.666 km/h over the half-mile, both with a flying start.

The record-breaking car driven by Hornsted was the third in a line of six Benz 200 hp racing cars that began in 1909. Among its other successes, the 1912 incarnation took victories in hill climbs at Gaillon and Limonest, France, with Fritz Erle at the wheel. Then, in 1913, L. G. Hornsted made enquiries in Mannheim about acquiring a powerful vehicle for racing and record attempts. The English driver, who listed his occupations as driver, mechanic, and tester, was already operating as a representative for Benz & Cie. in England at the time. His aim with the 200 hp was to build on his previous successes in older Benz racing cars.

Hornsted wanted a number of changes to the vehicle’s original configuration. These included a modified radiator grille, a detachable wind deflector, and other technical modifications. Legend has it that one request, to extend the prodigious exhaust from the 21.5-litre, four-cylinder engine to the rear of the vehicle, was realised by attaching a stove pipe.

L.G. „Cupid“ Hornsted during a record run at Brooklands.

The vehicle, now painted blue, made its debut at Brooklands in November 1913; on 22 December, Hornsted set the first records. However, this was not enough for the young man, born the son of the British Vice-Consul to Moscow in 1884, who went on to put in a total of seven more record-breaking drives with the Benz 200 hp in January 1914. First up, on 14 January, were two world records over 2 miles (122.05 mph, 196.38 km/h) and 5 miles (116.08 mph, 186.77 km/h) with flying starts. Five months later, on 24 June 1914, Hornsted drove the mile at Brooklands at 124.12 mph (199.71 km/h). This was the first record to be set under the new two-way rule, which required an average speed from two runs in opposite directions – it was also the fastest speed ever recorded at Brooklands at that time. In July, Hornsted and his famous car recorded the best time among the racers competing in the Ostend one-kilometre race in Belgium, with a speed of 189.5 km/h.

Later in 1914, the record-breaking vehicle returned to Benz & Cie. in Mannheim, Germany, where it remained in the R&D department throughout the First World War. After the war was over, the Mannheim mechanics fitted new bodywork, painted in traditional white, to the chassis of Hornsted’s machine. The car took part in the 1921 inaugural race on the AVUS track in Berlin and in 1922 entered the one-kilometre race at Scheveningen in the Netherlands. In July 1922, the vehicle returned to Brooklands, where it successfully competed in a number of races with H. V. Barlow at the helm. On 30 September 1922, an accident near the end of a race all but destroyed the car when it shot over the barrier on the banked curve at the north end of the circuit.

What does it take to earn an invite from Mercedes-Benz to test in a DTM car? You may want to start with a resumé that includes a FIA Formula 3 European Champion title. Like the title recently won by Italy’s 18-year-old Raffaele Marciello from Prema Powerteam.  Finishing fourth during this weekend’s race, Marciello is the newest FIA Formula 3 European Champion, and now, Mercedes-Benz has now invited him to test a DTM car.

Raffaele Marciello, Prema Powerteam, Mercedes-Benz, FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Felix Rosenqvist, Mücke Motorsport

So far this season, Marciello has recorded twelve wins, 18 podiums, twelve pole positions and seven fastest race laps. Drivers powered by a Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine occupy the first four places in the FIA ​Formula 3 Championship standings: after Marciello and Felix Rosenqvist (21, Mücke Motorsport) come Alex Lynn (20, GB, Prema Powerteam) and Lucas Auer (19, Austria , Prema Powerteam). Marciello finished last season as European Championship runner-up and in third place in the Formula 3 Euro Series. In the prestigious Formula 3 Masters at Zandvoort, he finished second behind Daniel Juncadella.

New champion Marciello is following in the footsteps of Roberto Merhi and Daniel Juncadella who won the FIA Formula 3 title in the two previous years in a Prema Powerteam Dallara-Mercedes and were subsequently promoted to the Mercedes-Benz DTM driver squad. In addition to Juncadella and Merhi, Mercedes-Benz DTM juniors Christian Vietoris and Pascal Wehrlein also enjoyed F3 success with the Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engine. Twelve of the 22 current Formula 1 drivers races cars powered by Mercedes-Benz during their apprenticeship in Formula 3, including 2008 F1 champion and MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS driver Lewis Hamilton, three-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and 2010 DTM champion Paul Di Resta.

Teams using Mercedes-Benz Formula 3 engines have won the Formula 3 Euro Series team championship in nine of the last ten seasons. On eight occasions, the winner of the Formula 3 Euro Series drivers’ championship was powered by Mercedes. Since the debut of the M271 Formula 3 engine in 2002, it has been instrumental in securing 226 wins in the German Formula 3 Championship, the Formula 3 Euro Series, the British Formula 3 Championship and the FIA ​​Formula 3 Championship.

Raffaele Marciello, Prema Powerteam, Mercedes-Benz, FIA Formula 3 European Championship

Raffaele Marciello: “What a fantastic day for me. Winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship is not only the biggest success in my career to date but also a great springboard for my future in motorsport. I can hardly believe that I am the latest in a long line of Formula 3 champions such as Lewis Hamilton and Paul Di Resta who have experienced success at this level with a Mercedes-Benz powered car and have then made the step up to the DTM and Formula 1. Obviously, I still have some way to go, so I’m all the more grateful to Mercedes-Benz for this invitation to test a DTM car. I’ll be doing my very best to justify the confidence they have shown in me and to use the opportunity to learn as much as possible for my future development.”

Toto Wolff, Head of Motorsport at Mercedes-Benz: “Congratulations to Raffaele Marciello on winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship. To triumph in such a keenly contested racing series is an extraordinary achievement, and he has well and truly earned the title. Here at Mercedes-Benz, we have had considerable success over the years in promoting young talent in the sport. The latest fruits of our development programme can be seen in the five members of our Mercedes DTM Junior squad, four of whom enjoyed success at Formula 3 level in Mercedes powered cars. It therefore gives me great pleasure to offer Raffaele a test drive in a Mercedes-Benz DTM car as a reward for his achievements this year. It goes to show that, if you work hard for success in Formula 3, it can lead on to greater things in your motor racing career.”

The Singapore Grand Prix takes place at the 5.065 km Marina Bay Circuit and is the only night race in all of Formula One. Taking place this Sunday, September 22, the night race is easily one of the favorites on the F1 calendar.

A look at past races in Singapore

• Each previous Singapore Grand Prix has featured at least one Safety Car deployment, with a total of eight in five races
• The average corner speed of 135 km/h is one of the season’s lowest, with 17 of the 23 corners taken at 150 km/h or less
• The average elapsed time of the past five races has been 1hr 58mins, 1.5 times longer than that of Monza

Nico Rosberg

The Singapore Grand Prix is a fantastic occasion and the whole weekend has one of the best atmospheres of the year. For the drivers, it is one of the toughest races from a physical perspective as there are so many corners and no long straights where you can relax. It’s also a very long race which runs close to the two-hour time limit. The chicane has been removed for this year which I’m pleased about, and the track should suit our car so I hope we can have a good weekend there. My best finish in Singapore to date has been second place back in 2008 and, of course, I would love to improve on that!

Lewis Hamilton

I have always really enjoyed the Singapore Grand Prix weekend and the unique ‘night’ timetable that we have to follow there. It certainly makes a change from the usual race weekend and it’s actually very easy to do if you plan your sleeping and eating patterns well. As a street circuit, the Marina Bay track layout really suits my style. It’s quite a testing circuit and you need to work the car hard the whole way round the lap to make the most of the tight corners and braking zones. We’ve had a tough couple of weekends in Belgium and Italy but I know that everyone at the team is determined to bounce back from here and make the most of the opportunities over the last seven races of the season.

Ross Brawn

With seven races left of the Formula One season, we start the season-ending flyaway races in Singapore. The Singapore Grand Prix is always a fantastic weekend for Formula One and provides a great spectacle for the fans in the city and the viewers on global television. It’s become a highlight of the calendar for many and the challenge of working late under the floodlights is enjoyed by the teams and drivers alike. The Marina Bay track layout is tricky, one of the slowest circuits on the calendar, and the punishing heat and humidity provide an extra challenge for the drivers and cars. There has been a lot of hard work at our factories in Brackley and Brixworth since the summer shutdown and the developments that we have found will be introduced during the upcoming flyaway races. Whilst our design and development priorities are naturally increasing towards our 2014 efforts, our aim is to extract the maximum from the car we are racing and regain our second position in the Constructors’ Championship. This will require a big effort from the team combined with consistent points finishes from Nico and Lewis.

Toto Wolff

This weekend’s race in Singapore begins a gruelling series of seven races in ten weekends for the team and we are all focused on regaining some of the momentum we lost at the past two races. We expect the return to maximum downforce configuration to suit our car and we may see another shift in the competitive order between the teams. Singapore is a highlight of the Formula One calendar, with its unique setting and night race format, and provides the cars and drivers with tough tests of reliability and concentration during a race which usually lasts the full two-hour time limit. We will bring new developments to the car once again for this race and we are all focused on maximising the opportunities for both Lewis and Nico, in order to re-establish ourselves in second position in the Constructors’ standings.

After starting from pole position, Lewis Hamilton finished Sunday’s German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring in fifth place. While it wasn’t an ideal finish for the Brit, it was a big step up from where he was running just 15 laps prior to the finish when he was in 10th. Mercedes AMG Petronas teammate Nico Rosberg finished the race in 9th place after starting the race from the 11th position and dropping as far back as the16th position by the 49th lap.

Nico Rosberg Pit Stop at German Grand Prix

After a dismal first half of the race, Rosberg and Hamilton fought hard to pick up points for the team, two for Rosberg and 10 for Hamilton. While it may not seem like much, these points mean the Mercedes AMG Petronas team will continue to hold onto second place in the Constructors’ standings behind Red Bull and just three points ahead of Ferrari.

2013 German Grand Prix Pit Lane

Lewis Hamilton

That was really a tough race out there for us today. I didn’t have a great start and the Red Bulls were much quicker off the line, dropping me back to third. We really struggled with the second set of tires which then compromised the rest of my race. It’s a real shame as the team are working so hard and doing such a good job. We’ve clearly got a good car but for some reason, it doesn’t work in these hot conditions. We’ll keep working on it and the positive from today is that we were able to recover to fifth place with a good strategy and great pit stops, and we’re still second in the Constructors’ table. Hopefully we’ll have a better chance at the next race but, for now, there’s a lot of hard work ahead of us.

Nico Rosberg

The car didn’t feel so nice to drive today. We struggled a lot with the rear tires and that’s why we weren’t able to match the pace of the guys in the front. Even so, I had a bit of fun when I changed to the option tires and could really push to at least score a few points. But we need to understand the new tires a bit more because it seems that the new construction has shuffled things around, especially in these hot conditions. We have to do a lot of work in the next weeks to make sure we arrive in Hungary in good shape.

Dieter Zetsche and Ross Brawn at German Grand Prix

Ross Brawn

Our first thoughts today go to the cameraman who was struck by an errant wheel in the pit lane. Happily, he does not appear to have suffered serious injuries but it was once again a reminder of the dangers of our sport and underlines the need for constant vigilance in terms of safety. Today was a race of two halves for us. In the first part, we were once again overstressing the tires – particularly on the prime compound – and our performance fell away as a result. However, as the temperatures cooled off a little and things settled down, both drivers had respectable pace and were able to fight their way back through the field. Lewis and Nico kept pushing until the final lap and were rewarded for their commitment and determination.

At one point it didn’t look like we would come away with much at all from this afternoon, so there has to be a certain satisfaction in saving 12 points today. We have said all along that there is still a question mark over our performance in hotter conditions, and today’s race showed that we still have work to do. We have made big steps forward since Bahrain and Barcelona, where we particularly suffered with hotter track temperatures, and our performance was much improved compared to those races. But we have not yet done enough to convert our Saturday pace into race-winning speed in all conditions on Sunday. The three-week break until Hungary will give us an opportunity to think about how we can make further progress on our tire management as well as continuing to develop the core performance of the car.

Toto Wolff

We had a real character-building afternoon here at the Nürburgring. Neither of the drivers could find any grip on the prime tire in the first part of the race and it mirrored similar experiences we have had so far this season. We managed to recover in the second half, though, and our result was pretty respectable in the end given how things looked after the first 30 laps. Well done to both drivers for squeezing the maximum out of the car today. After such a successful weekend in Silverstone, it feels a little bit like a night and day difference for us. We need to get our heads down at the factory, properly analyse our performance and keep working hard because we know that we will see similar temperatures in Hungary to what we experienced here.

Mercedes AMG Petronas driver, Nico Rosberg put on a spectacular show Sunday, winning the Monaco Grand Prix and making history doing it. Rosberg is the only second generation driver to win in Monaco, following in the footsteps of his father Keke Rosberg who won the race in 1983. Growing up in Monaco, the streets where Rosberg dominated the competition for his second career victory, are home to the Mercedes AMG racer.

Teammate Lewis Hamilton finished the race in fourth after after starting the race in second and then losing his positions to Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber during a pit stop that brought in Rosberg and Hamilton together resulting in a position and time loss and for Hamilton. Hamilton fought hard to make a comeback but once the race was delayed with a red flagged on the 48th lap, Hamilton just couldn’t seem to get his momentum back.

Nico Rosberg Wins 2013 Monaco Grand Prix

Weather	Warm and sunny
Temperatures	Air: 18-20°C	Track: 39-44°C

Nico Rosberg

Monaco is such a special place to win and it just feels amazing today. It was my childhood dream to win this race and to do it in a Silver Arrow on the streets where I have lived all of my life is fantastic. I can’t quite believe it has happened yet and it will probably take a while to sink in. Thank you to the team for the car that we had this weekend and it’s good to have been able to show the same level of performance on Sunday and convert our pole position. The whole weekend went pretty much to plan, even though qualifying was tough with the weather conditions. I didn’t have the best start today which meant Lewis and Seb got pretty close but after the first corner, I was able to set my own pace. Then it was just a case of keeping a cool head through all the incidents and the team did a great job of keeping me in touch with what was happening. Thank you to everyone here today and back at the factories in Brackley and Brixworth. I hope this win today is the first of many more to come for us.

Lewis Hamilton Helmet

Lewis Hamilton

It’s been a great weekend for the team and I’m really happy for everyone. Big congratulations to Nico, he’s been awesome all weekend here and really deserves that victory. From my side, this weekend hasn’t really been the best and we didn’t make the most of the opportunity for a one-two finish today. When the safety car came out, I needed to maintain a gap so we didn’t get delayed with the double pit stop but unfortunately the gap was too big and we lost out to the two Red Bulls. That’s motor racing and these things happen sometimes. It’s the tightest track in the world here and virtually impossible to overtake unless you are much quicker than the car in front so there was nothing I could do to improve my position. But it’s great for the team to have achieved our first victory of the season and I hope we can carry through the performance we showed here to Montreal.

Ross Brawn

Congratulations to Nico today. He did not put a foot wrong all weekend, topping every session and driving a very poised and controlled race. He richly deserves this second win of his career. Lewis was running very comfortably in second position until the Safety Car period just before both drivers had made their first stops. The team did a fantastic job all weekend in a challenging qualifying session and a difficult race. But we are all aware, Monaco is not a completely representative circuit. We will take the time this evening to enjoy our success but know that we need to keep pushing to understand how to extract the maximum from our car at every circuit and keep improving further.

Toto Wolff

Nico was dominant not just this afternoon but all weekend. He did everything right from the first lap on Thursday and he really earned this victory. Lewis lost some time in the second sector on his in-lap behind the Safety Car and that cost him position to the Red Bulls, so we need to find out what happened there. As for the team, congratulations to everybody in Brackley and Brixworth. The guys at the track overcame all the obstacles that were put in their way this weekend and the team at the factory have achieved a great step in performance with the car. Now we need to keep pushing so we can repeat this taste of success at different types of circuit through the rest of the season.

Starting off the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position, Mercedes AMG Petronas’ Nico Rosberg led the race for two laps before being overtaken on the third lap by Sebastian Vettel who would then go on to win the race.  Rosberg battled for fifth position for quite some time before dropping back after contact was made with Mark Webber’s Red Bull car, requiring him to take a fourth pit stop. Rosberg finished respectively in ninth position.

Lewis Hamilton started off the race in 9th position and dropped back as far as 11 in an effort to conserve his tires but truly came alive when he overtook the Webber’s Red Bull car on the 51st lap. Webber managed to take over Hamilton on the 53rd lap, setting up a great to watch side-by-side racing battle  between the two – Webber blocked Hamilton and Hamilton ducked and dived behind him. It was on the very last lap of the race going into Turn 1 with Hamilton on the inside that Webber had to concede to Hamilton ending in a fifth place finish for Hamilton and a seventh place finish for Webber.

• Lewis completed a three-stop strategy to finish in fifth place after starting ninth
• He stopped on laps 10, 22 and 38, running option/option/prime/prime
• After starting from pole, Nico was forced to convert to a four-stop strategy at the end of his third stint
• He stopped on laps 9, 20, 33 and 44, running option/prime/prime/option/option

Lewis Hamilton

I’m really happy with our result today. It’s been a tough weekend for us but we got through it and finishing in fifth place was some good damage limitation. My race didn’t start well at all. I was looking after the tires but I really struggled on the first two stints and was falling back. But as the temperatures dropped, the car picked up and then I had the grip that I needed to push and close the gap. I had so much fun fighting with Mark at the end. We really needed that point and I was so determined to get by. It was good, clean wheel-to-wheel racing. I’m very proud of what we have achieved over the first four races and to be third in the Drivers’ Championship is beyond any of our expectations. But we’ve got to keep pushing and find more performance. We’re hanging on by the skin of our teeth at the moment and, if we can make that next step, then we can close the gap.

Nico Rosberg

A tough day for me. As nice as it was to start from pole this afternoon, it was just as hard to finish in ninth place. I didn’t feel comfortable in the car today and it wasn’t much fun out there really. We switched to a four-stop strategy at the end of my third stint but it wasn’t enough. We were using the rear tyres too much and at the end, I was really struggling and wasn’t able to push hard enough. There is a lot of work ahead and we need to focus on why our race performance isn’t matching the pace that we can show in qualifying. Hopefully we can make some steps here before the European season starts.

Ross Brawn

We struggled badly in the early part of the race when the track temperatures were at their highest. This is an issue we have to address and we will continue working on solutions to improve our performance in this area. In the second half of the race, as the track temperatures cooled somewhat, our pace was not bad – particularly with Lewis. We got two cars home in the points, both drivers enjoyed some exciting wheel-to-wheel racing and the pit crew delivered some great stops. Lewis and Nico did as good a job as possible with the car we had this afternoon but it was a case of damage limitation for both of them. However we must make it a priority to cope better with elevated temperatures: the tyres are the same for everybody and we are not performing as well as our competitors in these conditions.

Toto Wolff

We knew it would be a tough day and the high track temperatures were clearly not good for us. That’s not an excuse but a priority area to improve. We need to analyse carefully why we suffered so much, particularly in the early stages, and why we were not on the pace. Both drivers were tough but fair in defending their positions and delivered some good racing, particularly Lewis in the closing stages. But from a team perspective we must see this as a disappointing result. We learned a lot this afternoon but it is clear that we still have a lot to learn.

The customer sports program of Mercedes-AMG will be all ove the world for 2013 and for the first time, the SLS AMG GT3 will start in the U.S. During 2013 season, the racing version of the Mercedes gullwing will be a part of more than 22 race series on five continents. The German team H.T.P. Motorsport will enter three SLS AMG GT3 racecars into the new FIA GT World. Seyffarth Motorsport will participate in the race series as well. The gullwings will fight for the overall victory in the 24-hour races of Nürburgring and in Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). Three SLS AMG GT3 are expected to participate in the German ADAC GT Masters. Three teams will be facing the competition in the Japanese Super GT Series. And, two SLS AMG GT3 racecars, from Black Swan and Green Hornet Racing, have entered the US American Pirelli World Challenge.

In preparation for the season at the end of February 2013, several AMG customer teams took advantage of the perfect conditions in the test and setting drives on “Autódromo Internacional do Algarve” in Portimão (Portugal). All support units of the AMG customer sports program gathered on-site, providing professional support. With Bernd Schneider, Thomas Jäger and Lance David Arnold (all GER), the teams were provided advice and assistance by experienced race professionals.

Ola Källenius, chairman of the board, Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “Our customer sports program is in its third year now, and this is the first time that the SLS AMG GT3 will also participate in races in the United States. This is one indicator pointing out to an exciting 2013 motorsports season. Racing is an essential part of AMG and its DNA. In 2013, AMG again is based upon three pillars: With the SLS AMG GT3 customer sports program, the Mercedes AMG C-Coupé in the popular DTM and with the team MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS in Formula 1, AMG is based very broadly.”

Uli Fritz, head of AMG Customer Sports: “In the 2013 motorsports season we also hold on to our philosophy of merely using the SLS AMG GT3 for customer sports and not for factory entries. We continue to focus on providing the AMG customer teams with the best assistance possible. Not only the victories of the previous years, but also our impressive number of sold cars, which has in the meantime risen to 63 race gullwings, have shown the success of this strategy. We want to thank the teams, which are facing the third year of competition with us, for their confidence – moreover we are looking forward to receiving the new teams in the family of AMG customer sports. ”

AMG starts in US American Pirelli World Challenge

For the first time in the history of AMG customer sports, two SLS AMG GT3 started in a race on the North American continent. In the first race of the new US American Pirelli World Challenge on the race track “Streets of St. Petersburg” in Florida, Peter LeSaffre (USA) of Green Hornet Racing as well as Tim Pappas (USA) of Black Swan were behind the wheel. The Pirelli World Challenge comprises nine races, almost 30 vehicles will be competing in the GT class. Black Swan were among the top ten twice already in the first weekend, winning places 8 and 9. Green Hornet achieved solid results winning position 11 in the first race, in the second race, however, Peter LeSaffre had to retire from the race prior to end.

AMG Customer Sports: Preparing for the season on the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve“ in Portimão

Successful start of the 2013 motorsports season

The customer teams Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon and Erebus Motorsport GT celebrated a successful start of the season in winter 2013. In both the Dubai 24 Hours (UAE) as well as the Bathurst 12 Hour race (Australia) it was a SLS AMG GT3 to cross the finish line first. The GT3 prelude in Europe will take place the coming weekend. In Nogaro, France, the new FIA GT World will celebrate its premiere (29th March to 1st April 2013). 26 cars, 16 teams and eight brands will be facing the competition in the successor series of the FIA GT World Championship, which existed for many years. H.T.P.-Gravity Charouz will enter three SLS AMG GT3 in the categories Pro Cup, Pro-Am and Gentlemen’s Trophy. Seyffarth Motorsport is also going to participate in the new FIA GT World.

The first race of the German VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring had to be cancelled due to difficult weather conditions. The prelude of the VLN on the legendary Nordschleife (“north loop”) and the short circuit of the Grand-Prix course will take place on 13th April 2013. ROWE RACING and Car Collection will take part in the first VLN race, Black Falcon will have to skip the race because of an overlapping race.

Highlight of the season – 24 Hours Nürburgring

One of the traditional highlights of the German motorsports season is the 24 Hours Nürburgring – this year it will take place from the 17th to the 20st of May 2013. Black Falcon, ROWE RACING and Car Collection will be facing their strong competitors. Bernd Schneider (team Black Falcon), Lance David Arnold and Thomas Jäger (both team ROWE RACING) will support the customer teams as part of the AMG support program and take an active part in the endurance classic in the Eifel themselves.

Three SLS AMG GT3 in the ADAC GT Masters

In 2013, three SLS AMG GT3 will participate in the fight for the title in the ADAC GT Masters. H.T.P. Motorsport enters two cars into the race while Seyffarth Motorsport enters one. The ADAC GT Masters starts on 26th of April in Oschersleben and comprises 16 races. Two races take place every race weekend. The private TV station Kabel 1 again broadcasts all races live and in full length.

Blancpain Endurance Series – three teams in competition

In the Blancpain Endurance Series, three teams are facing the competition: Black Falcon from Germany enters two gullwing race cars. As in the previous years, the British team Preci-Spark will join the race. Fortec Motorsport from Great Britain is a new participant in this year’s race. The starting field of the Blancpain Endurance Series with about 60 cars is certainly going to show committing motorsports. The race in Monza, Italy on 14th April 2013 will be the prelude while the highlight of the season will be the 24-hour race of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on 27th and 28th July 2013. The final of the endurance championship takes place on Nürburgring on 22nd September 2013.

Five AMG customer teams starting in Asia

The SLS AMG GT3 will also play a great role in Japan. With RQ’s Motorsport, Leon Racing, Gainer and Shift, four teams will participate in the Japanese Super GT. The PETRONAS Syntium Team will show its best performance in the Super Taikyu Series, in order to build on their success of 2012 and achieve a confident victory. Also in the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race lasting 12 hours, the PETRONAS Syntium Team wants to continue to be as successful as last year.

From Australia to Brazil

Besides the big championships, which are mainly held on European tracks, customer teams with the SLS AMG GT3 will also take part in races on the continents of South America and Australia as well as in smaller national race series:

• Australian GT-Championship: Erebus Racing
• Brazilian GT-Championship: AMattheis Motorsport
• British GT-Championship: Fortec Motorsport
• DMV TCC: ANTeam, Land Motorsport, Schütz Motorsport
• FIA CEZ: Premium Poland Motorsport
• French GT-Championship: Autosport Promotion
• GT Open: Seyffarth Motorsport
• Slovakia GT: TopCar Machének
• Spanish and Portuguese GT-Championship: Sports & You
• Supercar International Series: Sports & You

AMG Customer Sports: Inauguration of the Walk of Fame in Affalterbach

Walk of Fame in Affalterbach

The new Walk of Fame is a tribute to the numerous successes of AMG customer teams and their drivers: As in Hollywood, the names of all AMG team and driver champions as well as the AMG endurance champions of 12- and 24-hour races are being perpetuated on engraved stone flags. A statement by Ola Källenius, chairman of the board, Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “Through the Walk of Fame in Affalterbach we want to give thanks to our customer teams and their drivers for their encouragement. We are very proud that, around the world, we have managed to achieve such a great number of victories with the race gullwing car in the course of just a few years. I am looking forward to a successful season 2013 and a Walk of Fame that will be ever growing.”