Affalterbach.  Mercedes-AMG is celebrating its 55th anniversary with six "Edition 55" special models based on the GLE SUV and GLE Coupé in this demanding market segment as well. The customers have the advantage that exquisite equipment scopes and details that are only available for the "Edition 55" make this limited-edition model particularly desirable. The anniversary models are available to order now until December 2022. The colour selection with obsidian black metallic or MANUFAKTUR diamond white bright, the special car film, the 22-inch AMG forged wheels and the specific trim parts in carbon matt black underscore the classy and exclusive appearance.

As a special identifying feature of the "Edition 55", both sides of the vehicle feature special car film with the AMG emblem and an AMG diamond. Further exciting contrasts are provided by the 22-inch forged AMG cross‑spoke wheels, painted matt tantalum grey with high-sheen rim flange. The wheel hub covers with "Edition 55" lettering and laurel wreath testify to great attention to detail.

With the AMG Night Package, selected exterior elements are finished in high-gloss black. Depending on the selected paint colour, this results in bold contrasts or fluid transitions. High-gloss black is used for the front splitter and the trim strip of the AMG front apron, the exterior mirror housings, the window surrounds and the trim strip of the AMG rear apron. Added to this are heat-insulating dark-tinted glass aft of the B-pillar and two black chrome-plated twin tailpipe trims.

An exclusive detail for connoisseurs is the fuel filler cap in silver chrome with AMG lettering: This classy element is only revealed when the fuel filler cap is opened.

The interior is characterised by the contrast of black and red. Stainless steel door sill trims with red illuminated AMG lettering welcome driver and passengers. To match, the black AMG floor mats made of high‑quality velour feature red contrasting stitching and "Edition 55" lettering woven in red. The AMG Performance steering wheel in DINAMICA microfibre also commemorates the anniversary with the "AMG" and "55" badges and underscores the impression of the special models as exclusive collector's items. The AMG seats are upholstered in two-tone nappa leather AMG in red pepper/black. When equipped with exclusive nappa leather AMG, the door panels and centre console are also designed in this colour combination (standard on GLE 63 S 4MATIC+, optional on GLE 53 4MATIC+ and GLE 63 4MATIC+). The hand rest in the centre console is enhanced with an embossed AMG crest. The luxurious, sporty ambience of the interior is rounded off by the AMG trim elements in carbon matt black.

The scope of delivery of the "Edition 55" also includes a tailor-made AMG Indoor Car Cover. With its breathable outer panelling made of tear-resistant synthetic fibre fabric and antistatic inner fabric made of flannel, it protects the vehicle in the garage from dust and scratches.

Stuttgart/Bad Kissingen – Unimog stands for uncompromising off-road capability and unlimited freedom like no other vehicle.  Whether you’re on a brief vacation or traveling the world, the UNIversal MOtor device is the ideal basis for campers and expedition vehicles. Globetrotters and adventurers can experience the advantages of Unimog for themselves from June 16 to 19, 2022: at the Adventure & All-Wheel Drive 2022 trade fair in Bad Kissingen, Lower Franconia, Germany. Experts from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks will be there at the stand of conversion partner Hellgeth Engineering and ready to answer all your questions about the base vehicle.

Special technical features make Unimog suitable for hilly off-road use

Numerous technical refinements make the Unimog shine off the beaten track, even where other vehicles fail. The engageable all-wheel drive as well as interaxle and differential locks in both axles provide the necessary level of traction, even on the most difficult ground. Single tires and off-road reduction are also of great advantage here. In addition, the tire pressure can be set as needed at the push of a button using the preset “Road”, “Rough Road”, or “Sand” modes via the “Tirecontrol Plus” tire pressure control system. Capable of fording up to 1.2 meters, river crossings are no problem. The Euro VI four-cylinder OM 934 LA, which generates 170 kW (231 hp) from a displacement of 5,132 ccm as well as a maximum torque of 900 Nm, provides all the power you need. With permissible gross weights of 7.49 to 14.5 tons, this cult all-wheel drive vehicle also provides sufficient load capability as a camper and expedition vehicle.

Assembled expedition mobile based on U4023 from a single source

In addition to a carrier chassis, Hellgeth Engineering is showcasing several spectacular complete vehicles based on the U4023. The greatest of these is the TenereX expedition vehicle: a complete solution from a single source that combines carrier vehicle, expedition conversions, and a fully equipped cabin with kitchen, bathroom, and double bed, and that lets you be self sufficient, for example using solar panels. With the TenereX, world travelers have a reliable, robust, and efficient complete solution based on Unimog. Another eye-catcher is the pigeon blue U4023, a special model with wooden platform and crew cab, which Hellgeth built together with Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks for the 75th birthday of this traditional brand. The U4050, on the other hand, demonstrates that you can also turn the Unimog into a racing car. Hellgeth built this vehicle for the Dakar Rally. The Bolide thundered through the desert with 368 kW (500 hp) from the six cylinders of the OM 936 LA.

Mercedes-Benz Arocs base for especially large bodies

The Mercedes-Benz Arocs 8x8 chassis, which can also be seen at the stand, plays in a different league. This powerful, permanently all-wheel-drive vehicle is excellent at climbing and offers the perfect platform for expedition vehicles with especially large bodies with a length of more than 4.5 meters. This is needed when taking the whole family or a research team out in the vehicle. The four-axle vehicle with a permissible gross weight of 32 tons also has enough reserve carrying capacity for heavy equipment, even in conjunction with a fully equipped body. The wide, finely tiered range of engines up to 425 kW (578 hp) also meets the high demands of extended trips. Variants with 4x4 and 6x6 wheel configurations are also available in addition to the four-axle vehicle.

Proven cooperation: Hellgeth and Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks

Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks has a long-standing partnership with Hellgeth Engineering. This vehicle manufacturer handles special installations and conversions for camper and expedition bodies, individual chassis configurations, large fuel tanks, and high-quality interiors and styling elements. "The Unimog is an icon. Customers around the world value the reliability and off-road capability of the vehicle," explains Managing Director Andreas Hellgeth. The Unimog can do anything, making it the perfect travel companion for any adventure. It meets the requirements of the most demanding customers, whether they need sophisticated technology or high-quality equipment. "More than seven decades of development work went into the Unimog. Its components have been tried and tested thousands of times. Even under the toughest conditions, this vehicle demonstrates its extraordinary quality as a carrier vehicle for off-road campers and expedition vehicles," says Dr Ralf Forcher, Head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks.

Another advantage is the tightly woven service network. 650 Unimog service partners are available in 130 countries worldwide for service, maintenance, and repair.

Lewis Hamilton

Honestly, I feel amazing, so happy! P4! P4 has never felt so good to be honest. Maybe when I was like in my first year of racing, my first year here in 2007 when I got my first P4 in quali, it felt great then. I think this kind of feels like that, but particularly because it’s been a really, really difficult year. We did a lot of work on the car overnight, we went in two different directions yesterday just to try and get the information. We have slightly different set ups for the race still, but we’re in a great position so hopefully I can try and hold position at least.

With this car you need everything, and more, to come together. You know what, I think this car works… I like to think that I’ve got rhythm and at this track, and particularly in this session you need to have rhythm. I feel like this car works on a completely different beat. It doesn’t work on a normal beat and that’s been difficult to get used to. The rain always open up opportunity and I love this track, while it’s been a struggle so far this weekend and there’s still a lot of work to do tomorrow, I hope all the team are feeling positive. My message to them is: please continue to push. We need you. I need you. We all are working as hard as we can, and I believe in them so much. I hope at some stage we can stop this bouncing and move forwards.
George Russell

Today was high risk, high reward - switching to Slicks was our only chance to get pole position today. It was literally just turn 1, had that been as dry as the other corners we could have been in a really good place. We showed some really strong pace today but as I said on the radio, I’m not here to settle for P4/P5, we need to try things and at the end of the day, points are tomorrow and I’m glad we tried something different. In Sochi last year, I made a similar gamble and it paid off to get P3 for Williams so I’m always open to making the switch, particularly as we’ve had worse qualifying sessions this year in normal circumstances. For tomorrow, we should be able to pass the cars around us, starting P8, and move back up to P4/P5. Obviously, we have Checo and Charles behind us fighting their way back through so I just need to make sure I get up there as soon as possible tomorrow.
Toto Wolff

We were pretty competitive in the wet conditions today and finishing P4 and P8 is below what we could have achieved. Lewis did a great job in Q3 to take P4 but unfortunately he was out of phase with the other cars and set his time one lap earlier, so he didn’t get the track at its best condition. So potentially it could have been P2 when we look at the relative performance across the field. As for George, I loved the call he made today and it was worth rolling the dice. This is the moment when we can take risks and I’m up for bold calls like that – it could have been a hero moment but today it didn’t work out. Looking to the race, we have a mixed up grid and a forecast of warmer, dry conditions – so there’s going to be plenty of opportunities with the strategy and cars around us out of position. 
Andrew Shovlin

We had a tough time in wet conditions in the final practice session but both drivers seemed much happier with the car in qualifying itself having made some changes. Wet sessions are never straightforward and even less so when your car is off the pace, so we’re pleased to be starting P4 with Lewis. We could have found a bit more time on the last run by saving the tyres for one big lap at the end but you never know if there is going to be a red or yellow flag so we can’t be disappointed as it’s a solid place to start from tomorrow. George took a bit of a gamble going to slicks, it was definitely a brave choice and whilst it didn’t pay off today, it’s great that he’s prepared to take a few risks to get a shot at pole position. Conditions are expected to be very different tomorrow with hot and dry race. We were struggling with a lack of grip on Friday but we’ve changed a lot on the car so hopefully that’s improved and we can have a strong race.

Toto Talks Canada

Baku was a tricky weekend for us, particularly with the bouncing issues, but we really maximised the opportunities that came our way and left Azerbaijan with a solid collection of points. We benefited from the misfortune of others, but reliability is an important factor in Formula One and there’s no shortage of hard work at Brackley and Brixworth behind getting both cars to the finish line.

We once again found ourselves clear of the midfield in terms of pace, but a chunk behind the top two teams. We’re working flat out to close that gap. But with an underperforming package, I loved seeing the fight in the team to pull together and get us the best result possible with the tools at hand. That spirit will bring us back competing at the front.

Having not been to Montreal since 2019, we’re all excited to return. It’s a wonderful city and the Canadian fans are very passionate about F1. The track is a unique challenge, with chicanes separated by long straights. We’re looking forward to seeing what the weekend has in store and hope we can take a step forward.

Fact File: Canadian Grand Prix

    After a three-year absence, the Canadian Grand Prix is back on the F1 calendar for the first time since 2019. This will be the 51st running of the Canadian GP since the inaugural race in 1967.
    The 4.361km Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is similar in its characteristics to the recent Baku City Circuit. Long before Azerbaijan became part of the F1 itinerary, it was the circuit in Montreal that teams had to develop a special wing for, with teams wanting to have as little drag as possible on the straights but as much downforce as possible in the slow corners - similar to Baku.
    The 14 corners of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve comprise six left-hand turns and eight right-handers. As in Baku, most of the corners are within a similar speed range, which is at the lower end of the scale compared to the rest of the circuits on the racing calendar. Unlike Baku, however, most corners in Montreal come as a double change of direction (left/right or right left combinations) that require good responsiveness from the car.
    The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is traditionally regarded as very tough on brakes, similar to the Austrian GP. However, there are usually fewer cooling problems in Canada than at Spielberg, because the lap distance is greater and there is more time for the brakes to dissipate temperature.
    The 404-metre pit lane is among the top third of all circuits this season in terms of length. Even so, the time expended during a pit stop is relatively small, as the drivers are spared the inconvenience of going through the last chicane, instead entering the pit lane directly. Furthermore, the pit exit is in Turn 2, which means they don’t have to negotiate the first corner either.
    Although the track surface in Montreal is quite smooth, tyre degradation in the race is traditionally high. Combined with the track characteristics, which are of a stop-go nature, this improves the chances of overtaking and generally gives rise to an entertaining race.
    With the constant cycle of heavy braking and equally heavy acceleration, the track takes its toll on the hybrid components of the powertrain, with many long deployments followed by big charging events. In the course of a single lap, there are three strong braking events that generate forces greater than 4 G for a duration of more than 0.4 seconds.
    Safety cars are a high risk in Canada due to the proximity of the walls and little runoff area they provide.

Video Feature: What Impact Does the Weather Have on F1?

Ahead of F1’s return to Montreal, our preview feature focuses on how the weather conditions affect the cars, the drivers and the engineers. The video features interviews with Rosie Wait (Head of Race Strategy), Rich Lane (Senior Track Engineer) and George Russell (Driver of Car No. 63).

The video is now on YouTube and is open for embedding on your websites. Details are below.

YouTube video link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUMVZgLFHXU

We are also providing you with two broadcast formats (one is the finished social video but without music, the other features ungraded interviews and no graphics/music) on the below link, for you to use in your broadcasts or on your platforms. This is under embargo until 12:00PM EDT.

    Download link: tl/t-dhDtuOMXjF

Feature: How the Weather Challenges F1

What role do temperatures at the racetrack play?

Formula One drivers must race in a wide range of track and weather conditions over the course of a season no matter whether it’s hot, cold, day, or night, and in all conditions in between. Temperatures both on and around the track also have a particularly important role to play.

“Track temperatures can drastically affect tyres,” says George Russell. “When you’re driving on a track that’s nice and cool, the tyres cool down pretty much every time you race down the straight. But on the other hand, when the track is scorching hot, you are basically driving on top of a saucepan, heating up the tyres, so they don’t afford you as much grip.”

Sunlight has a direct influence. Track temperatures dip when the sky is cloudy even if it’s still quite hot, and as you would expect, temperatures tend to be much lower during night races than in the daytime. The colour of the tarmac also plays an important role.

“You can see that some tracks are a bit greyer than others that are literally black,” says George. “And of course, that attracts the heat and sends temperatures climbing, which then always makes things a bit harder on tyres. So there’s a direct correlation between track and tyre temperatures, but ambient temperatures can also affect a whole lot of other things.”

Of course, it’s not just the tyres that are impacted by heat. The drivers have to race, whatever the temperature, and the car components are also impacted when temperatures change.

How great an effect do temperatures have on performance and setup?

Ambient temperatures can majorly impact a car’s performance. Ideally, the temperatures of individual components should be just on the limit when drivers are pushing and getting the maximum out of the car. However, achieving that is no easy task.

The unproblematic way would be to simply maximize the car’s cooling and make its ducts as big as possible. That would reduce stresses on vehicle components, but at the same time, would also have a harmful effect on aerodynamic performance, since airflow is not only used for cooling, but also to generate downforce efficiently.

“It depends on the situation you find yourself in,” says George. “Sometimes, in a perfect scenario, everything is on the limit. There’s nothing to manage and you can drive at full throttle, but when you’ve got too big a cooling effect, then quite often, you’re not optimising aerodynamic performance. You just can’t have maximum cooling for the brakes and Power Unit, because that then means you need plenty of big, fat bodywork to really cool things down, which costs performance. You have to find the right balance.”

What effect do temperatures have on car technology?

At Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, keeping the car cool plays a vitally important role. It gets quite hot there sometimes, which can be a significant challenge as far as engines are concerned, but this track has always been a real test of brakes and braking systems ever since its inception.

Teams try not to let brakes cool down too much, as that can affect the car’s aerodynamics, meaning it loses performance. And at the same time, the many long straights where cars reach extremely high top speeds combined with the slow corners mean that brakes can get heavily stressed.

What effect do temperatures have on the driver in his cockpit?

Another aspect of cooling has to do with the driver himself. These days, drivers have to endure incredibly cramped conditions in their cockpits due to the limited space around them, and they also have a huge number of heat-emitting boxes of electronics and pipes to contend with.

Once again, teams don’t want to use too much airflow for cooling as that might affect other aspects of performance, but of course, they also have to consider the limits of human endurance at certain races. The intense heat during some races can become a major source of distraction for drivers in the cockpit as they push themselves to the limit both mentally and physically. Obviously, if they get too hot, they can’t concentrate fully on getting the best out of the car.

What changes for drivers in the wet?

Rain-affected races pose another big challenge for drivers. Visibility is much poorer, and you can get standing water at certain parts of the circuit or may even find water running in rivulets down the track, making it incredibly slippery and unpredictable. “It’s very easy to make a mistake in the wet,” says George.

However, that’s not the only difficulty that drivers face, as rain seldom falls in the course of a Formula One season. “You don’t get that many laps and that much experience in the wet,” says George. “We probably do 95 percent of the season in the dry and only 5 percent in the wet when conditions are always variable. It might rain a little more or a little less, while in the dry, things remain pretty much the same. So, you have to be on your toes and be very dynamic and adaptable in the rain.”

Some drivers like wet conditions more than others, but every driver has his preferred set of conditions. As George goes on to tell us: “The perfect weather conditions don’t exist as far as drivers are concerned. The conditions that exist on the day when you are fastest are the perfect ones, whether it’s hot and sunny, or dry and cold with a bit of fog thrown in. Ultimately, conditions are only perfect when you win.”

How does the team decide when is the perfect time to switch from intermediates to slicks?

One of the questions that most frequently arises on a rain-hit race day is when is the right time to switch from Intermediates to slicks. It’s one of the tensest moments for the team, but also incredibly exciting, and can be the difference between victory or defeat. So it’s vital the strategists, engineers and drivers all work closely together.

“When it’s inter conditions going to slicks, i.e. onto a dry tyre,” says George. “We racing drivers tend to take the same line and that’s when the track dries up. It may be dry on 75 percent of the track, but if a quarter of the circuit is still very, very wet and you are on dry tyres, you probably won’t even be able to make the turn. So it’s very tricky, you may need slicks on half of the track or three quarters of it, but it’s the wettest point on the circuit that dictates when to switch.”

And who gets to decide at what point to change from Intermediates to slicks? Well, that depends entirely on how the race is going. When a team has nothing to lose, they will try to be very aggressive in making the call to change over, but the driver knows how it feels out on track and when it is safe to make the switch. 

And on the other hand, if there is something to lose, like the race lead, you’re less likely to be the first to take the risk. This is when the strategy team can have more input, because they often have much more information at their fingertips, such as GPS and lap time data, compared to the driver, which is why they are there to guide him at such tricky moments in time.

George Russell

We were smashing the ground every single corner and every lap for 90 mins, it was pretty brutal – I’ll sleep well tonight! It’s what we’ve got to deal with it at the moment, there’s not much we can do in the short-term. There’s lots of intelligent people, hugely talented engineers in the sport so I’m sure we’ll find a solution. We didn’t get the podium on pure pace today but we did it because the team have worked very hard to deliver a reliable car, we did a good job to be ahead of the midfield and obviously we picked up on Ferrari’s misfortune. As a team, we take that as a positive and kudos to everyone at Brackley and Brixworth on all the hard work. We know we aren’t quick enough and we’ve got a long way to go to bring performance. We’re experimenting and trying things, one week turnaround to Montreal will be tough to find the solution but hopefully we’ll get there soon. 
Lewis Hamilton

I just got through that race on adrenaline, biting down on my teeth through the pain. I can’t express the pain that you experience, especially on the straight here. And at the end, you’re just thinking of all the people relying on you for the points. But we’re in such a good position still! Third and fourth is a great result for the team. The team did a great job with the strategy and once we’ve fixed this bouncing we’re going to be right there in the race. We’re losing over a second for sure just with bouncing, or at least a second. I’ll be at the factory tomorrow, we’ve got have some good discussions and keep pushing.
Toto Wolff

This is where we are at the moment – not as quick as the front runners but clear of the midfield. We never enjoy our rivals’ misfortune, we want to see a strong fight at the front and we’re hoping to catch up and join so there’s six of us there fighting. A strong job from George today, he managed the race and took his podium well. We need to find a solution for the bouncing because the car we gave Lewis today was so tough to drive, you could see the pain in his back all weekend. After running on Friday, we knew we had big limitations with the car in Baku so it was a case of maximising our strategy, driving and our operations. The team did a great job on all three to ensure we were in the mix and ready to take advantage of any opportunity that came our way. Today, it paid off and we leave Baku with a good haul of points but we are under no illusion of the job we have ahead of us to get back to the front. There are no holy cows, everything is being looked at and we’ve got a great team trying to solve our issues.
Andrew Shovlin

We can be pleased with the result today as we’ve achieved the maximum possible – both drivers raced well, the strategy was good and it was a welcome reward to see George on the podium again. However, we were lucky to inherit the Ferrari positions today, the gaps to the front are just as big as Monaco, we’re currently heading up the midfield and that won’t leave anyone in Brackley or Brixworth satisfied. So, lots of work to do to; we’ve got to improve the ride quality for the drivers as they have tolerated it today but it’s not acceptable to put them through that every Sunday and we’ve clearly got to find a huge chunk of laptime. The bumpier tracks seem to be a particular problem for us and Montreal is not especially smooth so we’ve got one area there to work on over the next few days before we get running again. The team is determined to continue pushing to find solutions, to find performance and to get back to racing at the front.