The First Ever Indianapolis 500 (1911) Film

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix Preview, 2025

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is round 17 of F1 2025, and signals the start of eight flyaway races to close out the season.

Toto Talks Azerbaijan

With the 'European' part of the year now complete, we begin the final third of the season this weekend. It will be an intense run to the flag in Abu Dhabi, with three teams in the fight for second in the Constructors' Championship. We lost some ground to our competitors in Monza and know we need to perform better in the closing eight races than we did in Italy if we are to come out on top. 

The 'flyaway' races start with two street circuits. First up is Azerbaijan before we then head to Singapore in two weeks' time. The track in Baku is a challenging mix of high-speed straights, 90-degree corners and the tight, twisty castle section. It is a good test for both the car and the driver. The grid is tight and once again small margins will make a big difference; if we deliver in the way we know we can, then we can be hopeful of a strong weekend fighting near the front of the field.

Fact File: Azerbaijan Grand Prix

• The Baku City Circuit is the fourth longest on the F1 calendar this year – only Spa, Las Vegas and Jeddah are longer.
• A lap of the track sees drivers change gear 71 times, more than at any other circuit on the 2025 calendar.
• The Baku City Circuit also ranks highest in terms of braking energy. The layout is one of two tracks on the 2025 calendar has more braking zones of over 2G. Singapore is the other.
• The section from the exit at Turn 16 to the braking zone for Turn 1 is the longest full-throttle passage of the year. It is around 200 metres longer than the segment from Turns 1 to 5 at Spa-Francorchamps.
• The 2.2 km start/finish straight therefore contributes to a difficult restart for the leader, with a strong tow for the driver behind leaving them vulnerable into Turn 1.
• At just 89.5m, the run down from pole position to the first braking point is the shortest on the entire 2025 calendar.
• Baku has the second-highest number of turns on the F1 2025 calendar, with 20 – a figure it shares with COTA in Austin. Jeddah in Saudi Arabia has the most with 27.
• The name Baku derives from the shortened Persian name Bad-kuye, meaning "wind city", along with Bad-kube, which means "wind-hitting." Both terms refer to the famously consistently strong winds that blow through the city.
• Baku hosted an F1 Sprint weekend for the one and only time to date in 2023.
• In 2024, the event moved dates to September for the first time, having previously taken place in the first half of the season (April or May).
• F1 first visited Baku in 2016, when the race was known as the European Grand Prix. It has been known as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix every year since.
• The team has recorded three wins in Baku with three different drivers – Nico Rosberg (2016), Lewis Hamilton (2018), and Valtteri Bottas (2019).
• George has also triumphed in Baku, winning the F2 Sprint race in 2018.
• Baku is one four tracks where George has scored multiple podiums (2022 & 2024). The others are Montreal, Barcelona, and Budapest.
• Test and Reserve Driver Fred Vesti claimed his maiden F2 victory in Baku in the 2022 Sprint race.

Ohio 1930s in color, driving in downtowns and rural areas

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Great video -- takes you back in time. But you can get a feel for the food in Ohio today that is not much different than the film. Those 2 LANE ROADS, HOWEVER, COULD BE BLOODY

How to bleed a cooling system

• Why you need to do it:

  When you drain a cooling system or add a lot of new coolant, air can get trapped, causing air pockets in the radiator, hoses, and engine block. 
• How to do it:

  1. Start with the engine cold, cap off. 
  2. Turn the vehicle's heater: to full heat. 
  3. Start the engine: and allow it to warm up. 
  4. Gently rev the engine: to about 3,000 RPM. 
  5. Watch for air bubbles: to come out of the system. 
  6. Continue this process: until no more bubbles appear. 
  7. Add more coolant: to the reservoir as needed to maintain the level. 
  8. Once all air is out, turn off the engine, and install the radiator cap. 

Plans for Future Production at Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz Bremen plant gears up for the launch of the all-electric GLC, the first core model based on MB.EA. 
• With "Next Level Production", Mercedes-Benz sets the course for its upcoming model offensive: intelligent, flexible, efficient, digital, sustainable and resilient
• With the all-electric GLC and the future C-Class with EQ technology, Mercedes-Benz plants in Bremen and Kecskemét start global industrialization of new electric architecture MB.EA
• Investments of more than two billion euros in European plants in line with the Mercedes-Benz Business Plan
• Efficiency gains of ten percent seen in the next three years with automation and digitalization as key levers

Mercedes-Benz is ready for the largest product offensive in its history and plans more than 40 vehicles across its network on three continents over the next three years. With "Next Level Production", Mercedes-Benz will use digitalization and automation as key levers to make its global production network and the production of the new models more flexible, efficient, and sustainable.  

The product offensive will kick off at the Bremen and Kecskemét plants with the new GLC (provisional figures: energy consumption combined: 14.9-18.8 kWh/100 km | CO₂ emissions combined: 0 g/km | CO₂ class: A)[1] and the future C-Class with EQ technology. The production of the GLC, the first Core model based on the MB.EA architecture, is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2026. The C-Class with EQ technology will start in the second quarter. The new electric GLC will be produced flexibly on one line with the Mercedes-Benz EQE and the GLC with combustion as well as hybrid drive. In line with the local-for-local strategy, production of the long-wheelbase versions for the Chinese market will start at the Beijing plant at a later date. 

Thanks to the use of digital twins to simulate new production steps, the extensive new construction and conversion measures in the assembly plants were implemented quickly and cost-efficiently without having to interrupt ongoing operation for longer periods. The use of new AI applications in the ecosystem MO360 enables the plants to further optimize vehicle production, while maintaining the production of vehicles with combustion, hybrid and electric drives on the same line.

"Next Level Production has significantly increased the flexibility, efficiency, and resilience of our global production network. With the extensive conversion of our vehicle plants, we have successfully set the course for the future production portfolio in the Core and Top-End segments. The Bremen and Kecskemét plants are leading the way. The fact that the Bremen plant is producing the all-electric GLC, the first Core model of the new architecture, is also a clear commitment to Germany as an industrial location." 
Joerg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production, Quality and Supply Chain Management 

Product offensive begins at European plants

As part of the Mercedes-Benz Business Plan, the company invested more than two billion euros in its European assembly plants. With their manufacturing expertise and consistent digitalization, these locations make a key contribution towards the successful implementation of the global production strategy. Following the successful ramp-up of the electric CLA, the first model based on the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA), at the Rastatt plant, the company is now continuing its product launch campaign with models in the Core and Top-End segments. 

In parallel with the electric Mercedes-Benz GLC in Bremen and the electric C-Class in Kecskemét, the Sindelfingen plant is preparing for the production of the new electric Mercedes-AMG models, which are already in their testing phase. Bremen and Sindelfingen will continue to act as lead plants for the models in the Core and Top-End segments. With this, Mercedes-Benz reaffirms Germany's key role as an industrial location within the global production strategy. 

Production costs will decrease by ten percent between 2024 and 2027. This will be achieved through a number of measures, including greater efficiency in production and logistics thanks to digitalization, as well as the use of artificial intelligence and digital twins and the increased use of renewable energies. In addition, the low-cost country share will be increased from 15 to 30 percent by 2027.

Increased resilience in the value chain - flexibility and intelligence of production processes

The announced models in the Core and Top-End segments will be gradually industrialized in the global production network. This is made possible through the integration of the plants into the production ecosystem MO360 and via the MO360 Data Platform. In addition, they are consistently aligned with the cloud-based production technologies of MB.OS. The high degree of digitalization and the use of digital twins form the basis for standardized, scalable and, at the same time, flexible production processes throughout the network. 

Furthermore, Mercedes-Benz plans the extensive application of humanoid robots in production, specifically in the intralogistics areas, within the cooperation with Apptronik in the coming years. Both the MO360 applications and MB.OS are continuously improved with Artificial Intelligence. This innovative approach enables seamless integration of the new models into existing series production as well as ensuring a stable ramp-up. At the same time, the significant level of flexibility and adaptability make it possible to react quickly and effectively to new geopolitical challenges.

"With MMA, Mercedes-Benz has taken the first step into an era of software-defined vehicles. With MB.EA, an even more consistent implementation of intelligent modularization of technologies within the entire Mercedes-Benz portfolio follows. This also requires greater intelligence and flexibility in production." 
Joerg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, responsible for Production, Quality and Supply Chain Management  

Sustainability in Next Level Production

Production plays an important role in Mercedes-Benz's sustainable corporate strategy. One focus is on the energy supply of the network: Since 2022, Mercedes-Benz's own vehicle production sites have been net carbon-neutral^[1], and by 2030, it is planned to cover more than 70 percent of the energy requirements in production with renewable energies. This will be achieved, among other things, through the expansion of solar and wind energy at our own locations and through the conclusion of corresponding power purchase agreements. The planned projects for an on-shore wind farm in Papenburg^[2], northern Germany, and an off-shore wind farm in the Baltic Sea^[3] are progressing well. The necessary official approvals have been granted and the construction of the wind turbines can now begin. The goal for all Mercedes-Benz production facilities worldwide is to operate with 100 percent renewable energies by 2039. 

Next Level Production signals: We are ready for the upcoming model offensive

The newly structured Core and Top-End segment forms the backbone of the most extensive product offensive in the automotive history of Mercedes-Benz. In the coming three years, more than 40 vehicles will be launched within the global production network. With Next Level Production, Mercedes-Benz signals that the course has been set for the product offensive: intelligent, flexible, efficient, digital, sustainable and resilient. The company has set up the production network to be flexible enabling the production of multiple powertrains on the same production line. The pace of the transformation is determined by market conditions and the wishes of Mercedes-Benz customers.

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