Mercedes-Benz F1 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid update Friday

 KIm Antonelli

• George Russell and Kimi Antonelli topped the times in FP1 and FP2 respectively as F1 made its debut at the 5.414km, 22-turn Madring in Spain.

• This weekend marks the sport’s first race in the Spanish capital since 1981 and the new circuit poses a fierce track for both car and driver.

• The first hour of running was all about building understanding and confidence; after initial sighter laps, both George and Kimi put in strong lap times to lead the way as most of the field focused on single lap work.

• With high tire degradation, the vast majority of the field opted for a second Medium tire in FP2, thus saving both sets of the Hard compound for Sunday’s race.

• Despite a red flag interrupting the second hour of running, both Kimi and George completed a decent program across both low and high fuel work.

• Kimi topped the times by virtue of his second effort on the Soft tire; George was P5 but only got one proper push lap in with his tires not fully ready at the start of the lap.

• Both drivers completed a mini long-run on the Medium compound to end the day and provide useful data and learning ahead of Sunday’s 57-lap Grand Prix.

Mecedes R 107 Base Price Annually Between 1972 to 1989

 

1972    350 SL 4.5    $10,540

1973    450 SL    $12,775

1974    450 SL    $15,540

1975    450 SL    $17,655

1976    450 SL    $18,000

1977    450 SL    $21,940

1978    450 SL    $21,945

1979    450 SL    $30,730

1980    450 SL    $30,730

1981    380 SL    $38,993

1982    380 SL    $38,990

1983    380 SL    $43,025

1984    380 SL    $45,820

1985    380 SL    $43,820

1986    560 SL    $48,200

1987    560 SL    $55,300

1988    560 SL    $61,130

1989    560 SL    $64,230

Spanish F1 Grand Prix Preview

 

Toto Talks Spain

Monza was one of our strongest weekends of the season and a significant result for everyone at Brixworth and Brackley. The team executed very well, the drivers delivered, and we extracted the maximum from our package. We can be pleased with that but it is already behind us. Our focus switched to Madrid as soon as we left Italy.

This weekend presents a completely different challenge. The circuit characteristics are much closer to somewhere like Budapest or Zandvoort. We are therefore expecting a very close-fought weekend. Our task is to understand the demands of the track in Madrid as quickly as possible and maximise our performance from the first session onwards. New circuits create opportunities and unknowns in equal measure.

Madrid is a global destination city and racing there is another significant step forward for our sport. The fact that an iconic capital like Madrid wants to join the calendar shows the strength of our sport and the momentum we continue to build around the world.

Third Driver Insight

Madrid presents a completely different challenge compared to anything we've faced so far this season. As a brand-new circuit for F1, everyone starts from the same baseline, which always makes for an exciting weekend. It's a track that will take some getting used to, with a mix of more conventional corners alongside unique features such as La Monumental, a long, heavily banked corner that will be fascinating from both a driving and engineering perspective. Finding the right balance between performance, stability and tyre management through that section will be a key challenge.

Drivers always enjoy the opportunity to tackle a new circuit because it's a chance to make a real difference and gain an advantage before experience levels begin to converge. We've spent a lot of time preparing in the simulator and analysing the demands of the track, so we'll arrive ready for the challenge. 

Racing in the heart of Spain's capital will also be a fantastic experience for the sport, and I'm sure Madrid will put on an incredible show for the fans.

Did you know?

• F1 returns to Madrid for the first time in 45 years with the Spanish capital hosting its first Grand Prix since Jarama hosted the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix. 

• The new Madring circuit is making its F1 debut in 2026, becoming the first new venue to join the calendar since Las Vegas in 2023. 
• At 5.416 km and 22 corners, Madring combines public roads with purpose-built sections, creating a unique street circuit.
• One of the track's most distinctive features is "La Monumental", a banked corner with a 24% incline inspired by Madrid's historic bullrings and designed to become the circuit's signature image. 
• The 2026 event marks the start of a 10-year agreement between F1 and Madrid, securing the race's place on the calendar through at least 2035. 

Mercedes 380 SL Vacuum Leak Solved

 

The offending rubber connector to the WUR

OK, after months of high idle, rough idle, strange behavior, the issue is solved. It happened over Labor Day, while staying in Oberlin and without my supply of parts and many of my tools. I had driven the car up to Oberlin from Centerville the prior Saturday, 220 miles. It was a bit nerve wracking, as my idle problems were on my mind, there were times of low power on acceleration, and a strange loss of power and rear noise when I got close to home,

I purchased some carb cleaner at Walmart at the beginning of the long weekend, sprayed it around the vacuum fittings and then focused around the WUR.  I posted above photo on Facebook, and got useful feedback, including reversing the check valve, and taking off the stay-ties, I carefully inspected the U-shaped hard rubber connector at the base of the WUR and discovered severer deterioration and a definite crack and split,

Next was cobbling together rubber and plastic connector bits from Advance Auto Parts. Once together,  I started the car and drove it.  No high idle, no inconsistent idle. Warm Up Regulator appeared to work OK. Still need to set duty cycle soon.

Fierce Battle for Pole in Monza, Saturday, September 5

Formula One - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, 2026 Italian GP. Kimi Antonelli

• George Russell missed out on pole position for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix by just 0.060s as the Alpine of Pierre Gasly surprised the field to take P1. 
• The team had continued its solid Friday form into FP3 with George topping the times on the Soft tyre.
• Qualifying later in the afternoon proved more challenging though with several contenders for pole including the Ferraris, the McLarens, the Red Bulls, and the Alpines.
• Both cars progressed to Q3 where Kimi set a solitary effort as he focused on helping provide a tow to his teammate. 
• Kimi’s best lap put him P7, but he will start from the rear of the field as he serves a power unit penalty.
• George meanwhile sat on provisional pole after his first run but was unable to get clear track on his second effort, sitting within just a couple of seconds of the Red Bull of Max Verstappen throughout the lap.
• Nevertheless, he still put together a strong effort to set a 1:21.846, a time only bettered by the Alpine of Gasly.George Russell

  Pole position was within reach today. The final run was a bit messy on our side, and we perhaps didn't make life as straightforward for ourselves as we could have. Kimi did a great job helping me throughout and gave me a useful slipstream when I needed it but on the final push lap, Max (Verstappen) complicated things slightly for us through Parabolica; that's all part of racing though.

  That said, huge congratulations to Pierre (Gasly). We didn't expect that level of pace from him today, so it was a surprise, but he did an outstanding job. He's a great person, a great driver, and fully deserves that result.

  Starting P2 still puts us in a strong position for tomorrow. I've been right at the front in every session this weekend, so I'm feeling good about both myself and the car. Around a circuit like Monza, starting position isn't everything because there are genuine overtaking opportunities. The key will be getting a clean start and staying out of trouble on the first lap. From there we'll focus on our own race and hopefully give ourselves a good shot at victory.

  Kimi Antonelli

  It was a very strange feeling coming into qualifying knowing I would serve a penalty for the race. Naturally, I wish I was fighting for pole position and starting at the front this weekend, but that's not the situation we're in. I still had a job to do for the team and to help George though, so I tried my best and I'm glad I could do that today.

  Tomorrow is all about enjoying the race and making the most of every opportunity. It's a track where you can have a lot of fun; there should be plenty of chances to gain positions, so hopefully we can make good progress. The key will be getting a clean start, staying out of trouble, clearing the traffic and then chasing down the cars ahead. 

  Toto Wolff, CEO & Team Principal

  Whoever ends up on pole position deserves to be there because they have clearly delivered when it mattered most. Congratulations to Pierre (Gasly) and Alpine; they have taken a lot of strides forward as a team recently and did a brilliant job today.

  Our qualifying wasn’t the most straightforward. We were trying to maximise the tow Kimi could give George, but we were tripped up by cars ahead. We could have maybe done something different, but this is all part of the games that are played at tracks like Monza.

  The most important takeaway for us is that we have a genuinely quick car. The pace has been there throughout the weekend and that is encouraging. At the same time, the Ferraris are extremely close and have looked competitive all weekend in front of their home crowd. McLaren and Red Bull have also been fast, plus we have Gasly starting ahead of us, so we know we need to get every detail right if we are to come away from tomorrow with another good result.

  Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

  Today’s qualifying was not our cleanest session. From yesterday's running we expected it to be tight, but there proved to be even more contenders than we thought for pole. It was of course a bit of a surprise to be out qualified by Pierre Gasly in the Alpine, but they did a great job and deserve to be starting P1.

  Given Kimi carries a power unit penalty into tomorrow’s race, we decided that it was the best decision to use him to give George a tow. That proved useful for George’s laps but did make Kimi's life a harder as all his new tyre runs were in clear air. Even so, his pace was strong given the tow provided a good few tenths benefit. 

  George had a tricky session with persistent brake locking that hadn't been a problem in FP3 but did seem to be causing him few issues from the start of qualifying. We did what we could to manage that with settings but even so, it made it difficult on the big stops in the chicanes. We were very much in fight for pole until the final run, but we got bunched up opening the lap and that meant George started too close to Verstappen. Even with that, he did a great job to improve his time, but it wasn’t quite enough to take P1.

  We're still in a strong position for the race tomorrow and it will be interesting from a strategy point of view with George at the front and Kimi fighting from the back. George is in a great position to fight for the win and if Kimi's pace is as strong as it looked on Friday, we'd hope that getting him into the higher points-scoring positions isn’t out of the question.
   

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Mercedes- Benz Changing Global Strategies Beginning in the 1960s and the Coming of the R 107 SL Roadster in 1971

Of course in 1971 M-B assembly facilities in Bremen did not exist. And neither are any of the many other current facilities across the globe on a map of the firm's activities in 1971.  That all happened after the 350, 450, 380 and 560 SLs were on the street.

What I am trying to say in this post is that the appearance of the R 107 was the consequence of many decisions made in the decade before its introductions.  The Story of the R 107 is not simply about a description of its "natural history." It was the consequence in a major shift in corporate strategy, one in which new geographic markets and other facets resulted in long-term international expansion.

It was not simply a linear transition. Mercedes-Benz moved for a time to being a auto manufacturer to a global technology firm beginning in the mid-1980s, and then back to an automobile firm by the late 1990s. Currently it is in energy sources and telematics as much as mobility. Managerial fluidity is a key to growth and survival. 

Just as an example, by 2001 this German manufacturer accounted for less Euros from its German market than from other European countries and particularly from non-European areas including the U.S. and South America. Ultimately China has played a major role in M-Bs recent success, but that is now in question.

Beginning round 1963 corporate thinking and hierarchy gradually changed. The later had been characterized as a henhouse with a rigid pecking order, More delegation, automation, and production innovations led up to the coming of the R 107, as market expansion to the U.S. led to an SL that was made for prosperous Americans first, with others second. It was one way to deal with an eroding home market that was being nibbled away by French, British, and Swedish car makers.

The oil shocks of 1973 and 1979 validated the expansionist thoughts of the previous decade. For a time 190 Diesels, 300 TD Wagons, and four cylinder ICEs with efficient powertrains and other models diversified the product base with the R 107 and its obvious beauty and build quality holding up a high standard.