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DTM / Next DTM podium success for Maro Engel and Mercedes-AMG at the Lausitzring

« Last post by fasteddy on Today at 09:42:23 AM »

Klettwitz. The Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams scored seven points finishes and one podium success on the second DTM race weekend of 2024 at the 3.478-kilometre DEKRA Lausitzring. All four Mercedes-AMG GT3s finished in the Top 10 on Saturday. Maro Engel (GER) and Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD made up the most positions this weekend. In Saturday's race, Engel made up a total of eleven places and claimed second place. On Sunday, the 38-year-old started from the back of the field in the #130 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and took P7.

Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD makes the right strategy decisions in chaotic rain race
Characterised by heavy rainfall and the resulting tyre poker, Saturday's race will be particularly memorable. When it started to rain five minutes after the start, Mercedes-AMG Team WINWARD and at this time 19th-placed Maro Engel were among the quickest to react. The early change to wet tyres brought the Mercedes-AMG brand ambassador up to second position in his 95th DTM race, before the race had to be interrupted twice due to the high risk of aquaplaning. Maro Engel maintained this position even after the two safety car restarts and the mandatory pit stop. His team-mate Lucas Auer (AUT), who was in poor health, started the race from eighth position and also benefited from the right strategy decision and a quick pit stop. He saw the chequered flag in fourth place. With the two Mercedes-AMG Team HRT drivers Arjun Maini (IND) in seventh and Luca Stolz (GER) in tenth, all four Mercedes-AMG GT3s finished in the top ten despite the challenging conditions. Arjun Maini, who had started the race from P5 in the grid, lost places during a less than optimal stop. Luca Stolz was handed a penalty lap for spinning tyres. Thanks to his second podium of the season, Maro Engel climbed to shared first place in the drivers' standings for one night together with Kelvin van der Linde (RSA/Team ABT Sportsline) with 43 championship points.

A late stop puts #130 Mercedes-AMG GT3 well ahead again in Sunday's race
In dry conditions on Sunday, the Lausitzring yet again proved to be a track that offers few overtaking opportunities. Once again, Maro Engel, who started the race from 20th place due to last-minute changes to the car, benefited from the right timing at the stop. He was one of the last to head for the pits in the #130 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and moved up to eighth position, which he successfully defended despite cold tyres. He subsequently worked his way up to seventh place. Lucas Auer finished tenth in the #22 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER car, while Arjun Maini ended Sunday's race in twelfth place. The three drivers thus continued their streak and finished in the points for the fourth race in a row. Luca Stolz had to retire the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 early due to a collision that was not his fault.

In the overall standings, Mercedes-AMG remains within striking distance of the leaders after the second of eight race weekends. Maro Engel is in fourth place in the drivers' championship with 52 points. Mercedes-AMG Team HRT is third in the team standings with 73 points. In the manufacturers' competition, Mercedes-AMG is eight points behind in second place.

The protagonists do not have much time to recover after the eventful races. All four DTM drivers will be competing for Mercedes-AMG in the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring next weekend. The following week, on 8th and 9th June, the fifth and sixth rounds of the DTM season will take place at Circuit Zandvoort. Last year, Maro Engel took his first DTM victory in the GT3 era on the Dutch dune circuit, clinching pole position and setting the fastest lap of the race.

Formula One / 2024 Monaco Grand Prix - Sunday

« Last post by fasteddy on Today at 09:39:17 AM »

George Russell

That was the best race of our season so far. We had good pace and were able to show that near the end, despite being on 70-lap old Medium tyres. We were closing on the top four at the end and only finished a handful of seconds off P1. There are plenty of positives to take from the weekend as a whole.

We spent a lot of time this morning going through all the strategy options. When we lined up on the grid, and everyone ahead was on the Medium compound, I was very happy. That looked even better when Carlos (Sainz) stopped on the opening lap. The red flag came out though and made our lives more difficult! I spent the first 30 laps taking it easy and in the end, I was able to keep the tyres in a good place and get to the end. Max (Verstappen) put me under a bit of pressure at the end but it was all pretty controlled.
Lewis Hamilton

There have been plenty of encouraging signs from our performance this weekend. The team has worked so hard to bring updates to the car and we’ve got more to come across the next few races. We have taken a step forward with the car and, if we can continue to make a few more, then we can hopefully get ourselves into the fight with the three teams ahead of us.

The race today was non-eventful. Everyone was managing their pace after the red flag and ultimately, whatever tyre you were on, you could make it to the end. That took away our options of making forward progress which was frustrating. I’m looking forward to going to Canada and seeing what we can do there.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

Overall, we’ve had a positive weekend. We were much closer than we have been in Qualifying so far this year and showed good pace throughout the race. That was despite the first lap red flag which took away many of our strategy options. We opted to switch to the Medium compound tyres under that red flag and both George and Lewis did a good job to manage them throughout. Lewis didn’t need to make a stop, but we were able to box him and secure the point for fastest lap.

The trajectory is going in the right direction. We’ve understood where we need to improve the balance car and we’re bringing updates to enhance that. We know there will be ups and downs depending on the circuits we go to but overall, I am happy with the development direction. Let’s see how we perform in Canada.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

We opted for an alternative strategy by starting both cars on the Hard tyre. There were pros and cons to this; a red flag or Safety Car intervention after the front four had stopped would have provided an opportunity to get both cars on the podium. However, a lap one red flag would prove awkward. This is exactly what befell us as the race got underway.

We were therefore in a situation where we had to try and get to the end on the Medium tyre. Most cars were doing a fair bit of management, so this was relatively easy to handle in the end. George seemed to have good pace in the closing stages and was able to defend well against Max and it was encouraging to see the improvements we made in our long run since Friday. The stop with Lewis towards the end wasn't necessary from a tyre point of view, but it did give us an opportunity to take an extra point for fastest lap.

Overall, the weekend was another indication that we are moving in the right direction. We were just 25 milliseconds off P3 in Qualifying, which is an annoying margin to miss out on a likely podium by. That said, a few weeks ago we couldn't even talk about podiums. We'll have both cars on the latest updates in Montreal with a few additional bits on top. We'll keep working hard and hopefully better results are not far away.

Formula One / 2024 Monaco Grand Prix - Saturday

« Last post by fasteddy on Today at 09:37:21 AM »

George Russell

That was a strong result today. It’s just two hundredths of a second to P3, so of course it’s frustrating when the gaps are so close, but the main thing is that we are making progress. The team has worked flat out to bring new parts here sooner than expected, and that’s massively appreciated because the car was feeling great. The car was dancing a lot in the first sector and my lap felt very strong – afterwards, you can always convince yourself there was bit more in there, but it’s just such an amazing adrenaline rush to drive a lap on this circuit. Overall, I am happy because we could have been P3 today, but most importantly we are making progress and hopefully this can be a bit of a turning point given that our car has never been super strong here. The race has been pretty chaotic in the last couple of years and I’m not sure what the weather will be like tomorrow, I guess a bit of rain would be welcome to spice things up!
Lewis Hamilton

The car has felt great this weekend from the get-go and we were competitive through Friday and this morning in practice. I’ve been pushing the limits everywhere and the qualifying laps felt good. But each time I go into qualifying, I struggle to keep making progress with the car and it feels like I lose performance relative to the cars around me. There was a bit of a difference with our cars in the high-speed corners, as George is running the new wing this weekend, but it is great to see the team pushing so hard to bring upgrades to the last race and this one, too. We have been much closer to the front here, and the car is feeling much better than it has in Monaco in previous years; we just have to keep on pushing and getting closer to the front through the year.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

When you look the final positions on the time sheets, P5 and P7 probably looks like a bit more of the same, but in fact the pace was good, and we were just a few milliseconds away from P2 or P3 with George. Lewis has put together a very strong weekend, but it wasn’t to be on that final run. The sport is so close right now, probably more than it has ever been, and it’s a fight for tiny margins in every area. As always, it was a challenge to find the sweet spot of the tyres, but we hit all our targets for those final laps and probably that’s the pace of the car right now. Ultimately, this has always been a tough track for us, and we’ve enjoyed a pretty competitive weekend so far. I also want to pay tribute to the work of the team back at the factory to produce our updates for this race. They did a mega job to get them all ready and working properly, and it’s great to see everybody pushing flat out like we are. Hopefully now we can build from here.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

The team has put together a solid weekend so far and both drivers had good pace today. It's difficult to not be frustrated with 5th and 7th, especially when you look at how small some of the gaps are and how easily we might have found enough pace for both to be further up the grid today. It's always a tricky circuit and it wasn't straightforward getting the new tyres to the right temperature for the first lap. We can at least reassure ourselves that the work we are doing to improve our speed seems to be effective. George was running a new front wing here and that looks like a step in the right direction. We'll have that on both cars for the next race in Montreal. The race will be interesting tomorrow: the tyres were quite fragile on Friday but hopefully we've improved the car to look after them. It's difficult with our starting positions but the race here is rarely dull, and incidents often throw up a few surprises. We'll do our best to finish higher than we start!

Formula One / 2024 Monaco Grand Prix - Friday

« Last post by fasteddy on Today at 09:33:47 AM »

Lewis Hamilton

It’s been a good day, probably the best we’ve had so far this year, and the car is feeling very positive. This track is just amazing in an F1 car, and I’ve been enjoying my driving today – I was pleasantly surprised by the grip level and the way the car was responding, which made it a much more enjoyable ride than the last two years. In the second session, it felt a bit less comfortable, and we’ve got lots of work to do overnight to improve the long runs and the front graining. It was a feeling positive on the lower fuel, and we don’t want to lose that, but our focus now is to improve on the long run.
George Russell

That was one of our best Fridays of the year, and the car is feeling the best I’ve ever had in Monaco. My session was limited by the steering vibration – as soon as I touched the brakes, the steering system was shaking, and on a track like this where you need confidence to attack, that really set me back. Every team is developing so quickly, and you can see how much faster the lap times are this year than last. The car is feeling good, and Lewis’s times showed the performance that’s in there, but Charles (Leclerc) is very quick, and we know as well how quickly things can change. I hope we will be fighting for the top five tomorrow.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

Overall, we've had a pretty good day with both cars. FP1 was productive. We pulled forward the FP2 soft into that session as we expected rain although that never materialised and meant we were on used tyres for the low fuel soft in the afternoon. George was struggling with a vibration on braking – we need to get on top of that for tomorrow as it appeared to get worse during the course of the day and was very intrusive this afternoon. However, the underlying pace of the car seems good. Our long run needs some work as we've got to be a bit kinder on the front tyres on Sunday but we've got some options for that. We've also got to track the circuit as the grip comes up but it's encouraging that we seem to have a decent platform to work from.

Formula One / 2024 Monaco Grand Prix - Preview

« Last post by fasteddy on Today at 09:31:49 AM »

Toto Talks Monaco

The small step forward we took in Imola was encouraging. The team has worked incredibly hard to bring our recent updates to the track, and it was a clear performance gain. That being said, others have improved too. We are still a step behind the front three teams therefore, and there is plenty of work still to do. Nevertheless, we have a clear direction and developments in the pipeline. We have a more solid platform to build on now and we are confident that, in time, we can get ourselves into the pack ahead.

That work continues this weekend in Monaco. It is a unique circuit and a fantastic challenge for the team and drivers. It is always hard to predict expected performance, but we will look to execute a clean weekend and maximise the car we have. It is always a special weekend, and we look forward to putting on a good show for the fans, and our partners and guests across our extensive hospitality programme in Monte Carlo.
Fact File: Monaco Grand Prix

The race sees the highest lap count of any event with 78 tours of the circuit forming the Monaco Grand Prix. It is the only race that does not adhere to the FIA's mandated 305 km minimum distance, measuring 260.286 km.
With three victories around the streets of the principality, Lewis is the most successful driver on the current grid at the Monaco Grand Prix with three wins (2008, 2016, and 2019). Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen have two wins, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez one.
From the seven races in F1's inaugural 1950 season, only four of them remain on the calendar in 2024: the British, Monaco, Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. All four races take place on the same circuits they did in 1950: Silverstone, Circuit de Monaco, Spa-Francorchamps, and Monza.
The first-ever Monaco Grand Prix was organised in 1929 by Antony Noghès. The final corner of the circuit is named in his honour.
A tighter and narrower pitlane than most F1 tracks means Monaco is one of three circuits to run a pitlane speed of 60 km/h, rather than the usual 80. The other two are Zandvoort and Singapore.
Monaco, along with Jeddah, has the most number of right hand turns on the F1 calendar with 11.
This will be the 81st running of the Monaco Grand Prix.
The 1996 event holds the record for the F1 race with the fewest finishers. Only podium scorers Olivier Panis, David Coulthard, and Johnny Herbert finished the race.
Brazilian legend Ayrton Senna took five successive victories at the track between 1989 and 1993.
Mercedes-Benz Power has won 12 of the last 25 Monaco Grand Prix, with McLaren, Brawn and Mercedes.

E-Class / Sales launch of the new Mercedes-AMG E 53 HYBRID 4MATIC+ models

« Last post by fasteddy on May 21, 2024, 09:59:30 AM »

The new Mercedes-AMG E 53 HYBRID 4MATIC+ is now available as either saloon or estate for customers to order from retail partners or online (energy consumption combined weighted: 26.7-24.1 kWh/100 km plus 1.1-0.8 l/100 km | fuel consumption combined discharged battery: 9.5-8.6 l/100 km | CO₂ emissions combined weighted: 24-19 g/km | CO₂ class combined weighted: B | CO₂ class discharged battery: G)[2]. Pricing for the saloon model starts at 109,242 euros and at 111,741 euros for the estate. Both plug-in hybrid models combine outstanding performance and handling with a long electric range.

The saloon and estate are both equipped as standard with the AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G transmission, active rear-axle steering and the AMG RIDE CONTROL steel suspension with adjustable adaptive damping. Also standard are the solid paint colours polar white and black. The same applies to metallic finishes obsidian black, high-tech silver, verde silver, graphite grey, velvet brown and nautical blue.

In the interior, there is backlit wood trim specific to the E 53 HYBRID in open-pore grey ash featuring the AMG logo. The MBUX multimedia system offers dedicated AMG display graphics and features as well as additional menu content exclusive to AMG. Electrically adjustable AMG Sports seats come as standard. They are upholstered in ARTICO manmade leather and MICROCUT microfibre with contrasting stitching in red and their own distinct AMG pattern. The electrically adjustable AMG Performance seats are available as an option. The AMG Performance steering wheel in nappa leather with AMG steering wheel controls is also part of standard equipment.
“Edition 1” special edition with extensive equipment

During its first year on sale, the new E 53 HYBRID 4MATIC+ is available to order as an exclusive ‘Edition 1’. The additional price is 27,370 euros for both saloon and estate. It comes with a choice of exterior colours in MANUFAKTUR alpine grey solid or MANUFAKTUR opalite white magno (optional). A foil with decorative stripes in black visually extends the vehicle flanks. The 21-inch AMG forged wheels in cross-spoke design are painted matt black and accentuated with high-sheen rim flanges. The wheel hub caps have an “Edition” label in a laurel wreath design. The black brake callipers with white AMG logos also match the dark look.

The AMG Night Package and the AMG Night Package II are also on board. Elements such as the front splitter, the beltline and window line trim strips are finished in high-gloss black. Paired with the double tailpipe trim in high-gloss black, the overall result is one of strong visual contrast. In addition, there is the heat-insulating, dark-tinted glass for the rear window and the rear side windows. The AMG Night Package II includes elements in black chrome, namely the struts and radiator-trim surrounds as well as the trim and badges on the front wings. In addition, the door handles, the trim on the tailgate, the type plates and the Mercedes star on the rear are in black chrome.

The AMG Carbon Exterior Package II reinforces the dynamic appearance, with exterior mirror housings in carbon look. On the saloon, the spoiler lip on the trunk lid is made of carbon. The AMG tank cap in silver chrome with “AMG” lettering also emphasises the special status of the edition.

The interior is characterised by the contrast of black and yellow. The AMG Performance seats are very elegant with upholstery in black nappa leather with yellow decorative stitching and “Edition 1” lettering in the front headrests. They follow the sporty look, as do the seat belts in yellow and the exclusive AMG carbon trim elements with yellow thread. The AMG Performance steering wheel in nappa leather/MICROCUT microfibre with yellow decorative stitching and the AMG door sills with yellow illuminated “AMG” lettering go perfectly with this. The final touch is the exclusive “Edition 1” engraving in the centre console as well as specific AMG floor mats with yellow decorative stitching and “Edition 1” labelling. The MBUX Superscreen with passenger screen is also on board as standard.

To protect their precious vehicle, every customer receives a tailor-made AMG Indoor Car Cover with the “Edition1” logo. With its breathable outer skin made of tear-resistant synthetic fibre fabric and the anti-static inner fabric made of flannel, it protects the vehicle from dust and scratches in the garage.

Likewise on board is the AMG DYNAMIC PLUS Package, featuring numerous high-performance components for even sportier handling.
Even sportier handling with the AMG DYNAMIC PLUS Package

The AMG DYNAMIC PLUS Package is also optionally available separately from the “Edition 1”. It costs 3,748.50 euros and includes:

AMG Performance steering wheel in nappa leather/MICROCUT microfibre with steering wheel controls for quick operation of the driving programmes and other handling settings.
Larger high-performance composite brake system at the front with 390x36 mm brake discs and six-piston fixed callipers.
The brake callipers are painted red and visually underline the sporty character.
The electronically controlled rear locking differential enables even better traction out of corners, greater driving stability and load distribution without loss of power in all driving conditions.
Dynamic engine mounts enable a sporty or comfortable connection between engine and body.
The RACE START function achieves the optimal sprint from a standstill. In RACE START, the drive technology makes every effort to impress to achieve the best possible acceleration. To do this, the software calls up the full power and torque of the electric motor (120 kW) and combustion engine (330 kW).

Numerous other optional features offer a wide range of individualisation possibilities for different customer requirements:

AMG Driver's Package: 2,261.00 euros
AMG TRACK PACE: 297.50 euros
AMG Real Performance Sound: 773.50 euros
Panorama sliding roof: 2,106.30 euros
Trailer coupling with ESP® trailer stabilisation: 1,160.25 euros
Burmester® 4D surround sound system: 1,374.45 euros
MANUFAKTUR patagonia red metallic: 1,178.10 euros
AMG 21-inch forged wheels in cross-spoke design: 3,272.50 euros
AMG carbon trim parts: 3,510.50 euros
AMG Performance seat package high-end: 6,426.00 euros

The combination of the 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine and the permanently excited synchronous electric motor generates a maximum system output of 430 kW (585 hp) [with RACE START: 450 kW/612 hp] and maximum system torque of 750 Nm. The resulting performance figures are suitably dynamic, with 0-100 km/h acceleration taking just 3.8 seconds[3]. The top speed is regulated to 280 km/h[4]. Using electric drive alone, up to 140 km/h is possible. To save space, the 120-kW electric motor is integrated into the AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G transmission. The motor’s maximum torque of 480 Nm is available from the very first rev, delivering exceptional agility off-the-line.

[1] All prices in this press release are non-binding recommendations for Germany incl. 19% VAT

[2] The specified values were determined according to the prescribed measurement procedure WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure). The ranges given refer to the German market. The energy consumption and CO₂ emissions of a car depend not only on the efficient use of the fuel or energy source by the car, but also on the driving style and other non-technical factors.

Technology / Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America funds educational initiatives

« Last post by fasteddy on May 21, 2024, 09:51:34 AM »

Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. (MBRDNA), a Silicon Valley-headquartered research and development subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, has started new research collaborations with two universities. The first is the Stanford University School of Engineering and the second is the University of California San Diego’s Contextual Robotics Institute. MBRDNA has earmarked a six-month funding initiative aimed at advancing AI research and its potential to elevate the in-car passenger experience and autonomous driving.

Both universities are poised to gain enhanced research prospects, resources, and real-world applications through close collaboration with MBRDNA’s engineers. MBRDNA expects to gain potential innovations emerging from these collaborations.
New research horizons for Stanford students

Stanford, recognised as one of the cradles of AI innovation since the establishment of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL) in the 1950s, has been chosen by MBRDNA as a key enabler in advancing the AI-driven passenger experience. Fifteen Stanford students enrolled in project-based design, innovation and development courses will have the opportunity to embark on field trips to two global hubs of innovation at Mercedes-Benz. These are MBRDNA’s headquarters in Silicon Valley, California, and Mercedes-Benz’s global headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

The academic challenge presented to the students is related to the MBUX Virtual Assistant announced at CES 2024, for which Mercedes-Benz has used advanced software and generative AI to create an even more natural and intuitive relationship with the car. For instance, the software can offer helpful suggestions based on learned behaviour and situational context. Divided into three teams, Stanford students are formulating project ideas with expansive scope, exploring the full spectrum of possibilities with AI, from optimising the productivity of customers’ daily commutes to addressing parking challenges and refining a personalised in-car voice assistant powered by fine-tuned large language models (LLM).

“Research Cooperation is an essential part of Mercedes-Benz’s innovation strategy. Given the rapid pace of development in AI technology, close collaboration with the scientific community is essential. The partnership with Stanford and the University of California San Diego underlines our commitment to nurturing a new generation of talents in the tech industry. As a pioneer in automated driving technology, we look forward to the insights and advances that will emerge from this collaboration.”
Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer, Development & Procurement

“We’re grateful to MBRDNA for their support that provides students with experiential learning opportunities, particularly as they relate to the possibilities that AI enables in the automotive sector.”
Jay Borenstein, Lecturer for Stanford’s Project-Based Design, Innovation and Development course
Leading 3D Imaging Research at the University of California San Diego

Strengthening MBRDNA’s commitment to academic institutions is the newly expanded research scope with the Contextual Robotics Institute at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. Led by Institute Director and UC San Diego Computer Science Professor Henrik I. Christensen, the research team’s Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory (AVL) focuses on perception and fusion for automated driving, particularly on 3D scene reconstruction from camera images, which could ultimately contribute to the safety features of the AV systems. The objective of this project is to initiate an effort building on prior work from Christensen’s lab and integrate it with a real-time 4D Neural Radiance Fields (NERFs) model to build a model segmented into semantically meaningful regions.

“We are very excited to join forces with Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America to expand our work on dynamic scene models for autonomous driving. This is a great opportunity for us to broaden our approach and also build a new alliance.”
Hendrik I. Christensen, Institute Director and University of California San Diego Computer Science Professor

The collaboration is built on MBRDNA’s strong and active link with the UCSD community. Besides the newly established research interest in autonomous driving, MBRDNA’s Powertrain Organisation collaborates with the UCSD Sustainable Power and Energy Center with a specific interest in building enhanced battery research.

Mercedes-Benz made history as the first automotive company to have built a research and development division – MBRDNA – in Silicon Valley. Since its establishment, MBRDNA has forged research collaborations with universities and key researchers across the country that have led to joint publications and recruitment opportunities. MBRDNA is a key part of Mercedes-Benz’s global network for digital transformation, brought groundbreaking tech partnerships on the way, and established a strong technological moat to support the company’s path forward to be the most desirable tech luxury brand.
About MBRDNA

As a U.S.-based research and development subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America (MBRDNA) is responsible for the development of advanced technologies spanning autonomous driving, electric vehicles, connected car solutions, and software development, among other areas of focus. MBRDNA currently employs more than 600 developers, technicians, engineers and designers who collaborate closely with Mercedes-Benz R&D facilities around the globe.

Events & Get Togethers / To mark the 18th birthday of the Mercedes-Benz Museum: Free admission on 19 May

« Last post by fasteddy on May 21, 2024, 09:49:42 AM »

The Mercedes-Benz Museum is coming of age in 2024, and invites you to celebrate its birthday. It opened its doors in 2006, 18 years ago. Since then, over 12 million people have visited the Museum and its numerous events. Last year alone, there were more than 800,000 guests. The Museum is celebrating International Museum Day on 19 May 2024. On this particular Sunday, admission is free for all visitors.

The Mercedes-Benz Museum can be experienced particularly intensively on 19 May 2024, during the free guided tours. The tours dedicated to the automobile will take place at 11 am, 1 pm and 2.30 pm. Tours of the “Now on View” art exhibition are at 10 am, 12 noon, 2 pm and 4 pm. Participation is only possible by registering beforehand on the day of the event – at the ticket desks in the atrium.
Current special exhibitions: ON THE MOVE and “Now on View”

Running until 17 November 2024, the special exhibition ON THE MOVE – YOUR WAYS. YOUR DECISIONS. YOUR FUTURE. can be seen on Level 0 at the Museum. The exhibition invites visitors to engage with mobility and its transformation in a varied and active way – individually and playfully.

“Now on View” has been showing works from the eminent Mercedes-Benz Art Collection since 2024. The special attraction is that the artworks are integrated into the permanent exhibition. The current presentation focuses on photographic works.
Events: “Classics & Coffee”, “Urban culture” and open-air cinema

The all-brands classic car meeting “Classics & Coffee”, which always takes place on Sundays in the Museum’s outdoor area, is popular with classic car drivers from the Stuttgart region and far beyond. The “Baby Benz”-themed special on 19 May 2024 focuses on the saloons from Mercedes-Benz model series W 201 (www.mercedes-benz.com/classics-coffee).

The Museum’s summer programme also includes the popular event series “Urban culture at the Mercedes-Benz Museum” and the open-air cinema.

From 18 July to 18 August 2024, “Urban culture” offers a diverse programme of concerts, club evenings, comedy, theatre and more across various genres, themes and age groups. The Museum acts as host for the cultural programme, and makes the open-air stage available to artists from the city and region as a unique summer location. Tickets for the first events can already be booked (www.mercedes-benz.com/stadtkultur).

Advance ticket sales for the open-air cinema 2024 start on 23 May (www.mercedes-benz.com/oak). The popular film event under the stars runs from 23 August to 8 September 2024 and once again offers a wide range of films for every taste. The German film “One Million Minutes”, which is based on a true story, is one of the upcoming films. The British-American melodrama “All of us Strangers” will be shown as a cinema special together with “Queers & Friends”, the Mercedes-Benz network of the LGBTQI+ community. The European Outdoor Film Tour (EOFT) and the Ocean Film Tour will be back at the open-air cinema in 2024.

Motorsports / Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team targets 100% biofuel logistics for 2024 European s

« Last post by fasteddy on May 21, 2024, 09:47:47 AM »

Working together with PETRONAS and our logistics partners to extend our use of HVO100 biofuel as part of our ambition to achieve a fully biofueled European season.1

We are committed to working towards our ambition to be Net Zero for our race team-controlled emissions by 2030 and are taking bold action to address our largest sources of emissions. Sustainable fuels are key to reducing our impact at track and on the road.

Working with our Title and Technical Partner PETRONAS, we plan to build on our 67% emissions saving achieved in the 2023 European season2 by extending the use of biofuels across the generators which power our trackside hospitality and engineering units. Our team motorhome will be powered exclusively on HVO100, a second-generation biofuel, at all this year’s European races. This will deliver a significant uplift on last season’s savings.

Our fleet of Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks will once again refuel with HVO100 during the European season. Each truck transporting our motorhome and race bases covers between 9,000 to 10,000 km, saving an estimated 90% of CO₂e for every kilometre driven compared to the use of traditional diesel.

Carbon emissions savings will be published at the end of the season once the data from all nine European races have been collected and analysed.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
“Sustainable fuels powering our European season logistics are a key part of our transition plans helping the team and our sport move towards a Net Zero future. We have increased our investment to deliver further efficiencies with the projected emissions reductions reflecting the combined efforts of the team, PETRONAS and our logistics partners. Fuel innovation sits at the heart of the changes coming to our sport in 2026 and I am proud to lead a team so committed to driving sustainable change.”

Alice Ashpitel, Head of Sustainability - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
“We aim to be as sustainable as we can in every area of our operations, looking for efficiencies in every aspect of our performance, including the ways we transport the team’s freight and how we power our operations on track.

“With the ambition of a fully biofueled season in line with our Net Zero commitments, we continue to use data to drive our learning which has enabled us to increase our savings year on year and modify our operations as we learn more about supply and infrastructure variations across the continent and multiple geographies in play.”

Datuk Sazali Hamzah, EVP and Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS Downstream
“In addition to working on delivering sustainable fuel for the Formula One cars by 2026, we continue to progress in our efforts to reduce carbon footprint within other parts of the motorsport ecosystem, including travel and logistics. Though these segments of the industry may not be visible to the fans, they demand concerted efforts in reducing emissions.”

“Building on last year’s achievements, we are now expanding the use of HVO100, which represents one of the most feasible solutions and many collaborative efforts to come in powering motorsport closer towards Net Zero whilst showcasing the potential of biofuels to the world’s transportation sector."

Beyond work to lessen the impact of our road-based freight logistics, the team has also led investment into Sustainable Aviation Fuel. In 2022, we were the first team to invest in SAF helping increase our emissions savings related to the air travel of our race team personnel.

Like all industries, we have much to learn. But as pioneers on the racetrack, we can now apply approaches that have driven performance on the track, such as data driven learning and continuous feedback loops, to help us improve our own environmental footprint and to share best practice, supporting and inspiring others to adopt similar practices.

For further information, please visit the Sustainability section of our website

Notes:

1 Ambition for a fully biofueled European season covers the use of biofuel in our race and marketing trucks, generators for our motorhome and paddock equipment, fuel transport and adhoc logistics for car parts.

2Emissions reduction of 67% and 339 tCO₂e saved through biofuel during European season - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (mercedesamgf1.com)

2022 Biofuels Trial
In September 2022, we concluded a trial in the use of HVO100 in 16 of our race trucks for the final three European races. The trial was designed to understand the level of carbon saving achievable, as well as identifying sourcing challenges. Analysis conducted after the trial concluded the use of HVO100 reduced the freight emissions of the trucks by 89%.

2023 Biofuels Rollout
In 2023 we built on the success of our 2022 biofuels trial, significantly increasing our HVO100 usage across the European season. We achieved an emissions reduction of 67% and a saving of 339 tCO₂e for race and hospitality trucks and generators across the 2023 European season. The team’s fleet of trucks travelled 386,000km on HVO100 with every kilometre travelled saving 90% of CO₂ emissions versus traditional diesel.

HVO100 Biofuel
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO100) fuel is made from 100% sustainably sourced renewable raw materials such as waste oils and fats. The use of HVO100 can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and reduce the impact of freight on local air quality by reducing NOx and particulate emissions. Bioenergy is an important pillar of decarbonisation in the energy transition as a near zero-emission fuel. To get on track with the latest Net Zero scenarios, liquid biofuel consumption will need to quadruple by 2030 with road transport playing a critical role.

Suppliers
The team would like to thank our Title and Technical Partner PETRONAS and our logistics partners for their invaluable support and commitment in supporting our sustainability ambitions.

Formula One / 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Sunday

« Last post by fasteddy on May 21, 2024, 09:45:36 AM »

Lewis Hamilton

My race was generally good. I had one moment which cost me about five seconds, but my race pace was generally strong so I’m happy with how it went. I made a good start and that was important to get past Tsunoda. From there, I was able to extend my opening stint and that helped me make the one-stop strategy work.

We’ve taken a small step forward this weekend and we have improved. Unfortunately, that is slightly masked by the step forward others such as McLaren and Ferrari have taken. We will keep pushing to bring more updates that can add performance. Until then, we will make sure we are scoring as many points as we can.
George Russell

We had some concerns over the Hard tyre being able to go to the end so made a second pit stop. Of course that means I lost a position to Lewis, but we were able to score one extra point as a team. It was quite a lonely race for us. We’ve slightly closed the gap to Red Bull and extended our advantage over the midfield. However, McLaren and Ferrari have also found similar gains so we are aiming to bring more performance and bigger steps as soon as we can. We’re never going to be satisfied with P6 and P7, but this is where we are at the moment.

Everyone is super motivated and it’s very inspiring to see. Everyone at Brackley and Brixworth are working so hard to bring improvements and it’s great to see. We’ve got to keep on pushing. This weekend we maximised the package we had, and we will continue to aim to do that moving forward.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

It’s not possible to see it in terms of the result, but we have taken a small step forward this weekend. Our closest competitors have also done so recently, but we have closed the gap to the front a little. We still have a lot of work to do and of course, we are all frustrated finishing P6 and P7. There is more to come though, and it is all about making incremental gains. These are what we need to keep delivering if we are to get ourselves in the fight with the three teams ahead of us.

With George’s second stop, our wear forecasts showed that he may struggle to make it last to the end of the race on the Hard tyre. We had the opportunity to pit and get out ahead of Perez, and therefore opted to stop him. That also enabled us to go for the fastest lap point. It cost George a place to Lewis but ultimately the team was able to score an additional point.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

It’s clear we have made progress this weekend, but our nearest competitors are also pushing hard. The race today confirmed that we need to continue to make these gains to be in the fight with the top-three teams. We are continuing to work on that, with the factory flat out on development. We will look to continue to bring updates to subsequent races.

Today, the Grand Prix didn't throw us any opportunities. There were no Virtual Safety Cars or Safety Cars, so as much as P6 and P7 is frustrating, it is what our pace deserved. We're not lacking any determination or effort to improve, and over the last few weeks it has been encouraging to see the efforts that every team member has put into the drive to get back to the front.