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. 

Solid Opening Day For Mercedes-Benz at Monza: Friday Update

 

Solid Opening Day in Monza

• The final European double-header of the season kicked off with Friday’s track action in Monza.
• It was a fruitful day for the team with plenty of single lap and long run work completed. 
• George ended the day fastest on the single lap with team-mate Kimi in P3.
• Kimi, who will start from the back of the grid due to power unit penalties, focused mainly on long run work with George running a more balanced programme.
• Both drivers ran the Medium compound in FP1 and the Hard in FP2, pairing them with the Soft tire on both occasions. 
• Whilst they didn’t end the day top of the timing screens, the upgraded Ferrari looked very competitive on both the single lap and long run.
• Imagery of the day is available on our media site. All imagery is rights-free for editorial use.

Driver	FP1				FP2
George Russell	27 Laps	1:23.312	P3	Medium, Soft, Medium	31 Laps	1:22.559	P1	Hard, Soft, Hard
Kimi Antonelli	27 Laps	1:23.644	P5	Medium, Soft, Medium	32 Laps	1:22.700	P3	Hard, Soft, Hard

George Russell

It was great to be back on track here in Monza. It’s a brilliant circuit and always fun to drive. It was quite a strong Friday for us; we got through lots of work and seemed to have decent pace on both the single lap and long run. We made some adjustments after FP1 that helped but we know we’ve still got more work to do overnight.

Ferrari looked very competitive and they still look to be the ones to beat. We also know how strong McLaren have been recently and I have no doubt they will get themselves in the mix for tomorrow. We can’t count out Red Bull either. It’s an encouraging opening to the weekend but it’s early days. Let’s see what Saturday brings. 

Kimi Antonelli

It’s amazing to be here at Monza! There has been so much support from the fans, and it means so much to me. I can’t wait to see it over the rest of the weekend, and I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who is cheering for me and the team. 

Today was a little bit different to a usual Friday. As we will be starting from the back of the grid, we focused much more of our efforts on optimizing for our race pace. We gathered a lot of data, and we didn’t seem too far away in terms of competitiveness. We will need to be strong if we are to battle our way back towards the front of the field; we will need to do a lot of overtaking on Sunday. We got some experience of that by running in traffic during our long runs and that will hopefully prove to be very useful learning for the race.

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

Overall we’ve had a good Friday here in Monza. It's hard to know where you will end up in terms of performance going from a high downforce track like Zandvoort to a low downforce track like Monza, but the read today was fairly encouraging. There's no guarantee that Friday pace translates into Saturday and Sunday, but the car is in a decent place, and we can look to find some further improvements from there.  

The programs were quite different across the two cars. George was running a standard program and Kimi with his power unit penalty was more focused on race preparation. The track grip has been surprisingly good from the start and that prompted us to drop the wing level with George going into FP2. That also gave us a good cross-car compare. 

There is a bit of data to pick through before we make a final decision, but we've got overnight to do that analysis. It certainly looks tight in terms of performance; all the teams we are fighting with have shown strong pace at various times today so we're not taking anything for granted but pleased that we seem to be in the fight. 

TV, Placed Product, and Rise of the Mercedes-Benz Brand and Popularity of the R 107 Model: Part I -- "Hart to Hart"

 

Hart to Hart (1979-1984)

I was too busy completing a doctorate between 1979 and 1983 to waste time on such frivolity as "Hart to Hart." Just watching a few episodes now is enough exposure to the program for a lifetime. But it is media that had considerable power to shape American thought and popular culture during the trying years after Oil Shock II and the economic downturn that followed. How wouldn't like to be handsome or beautiful, self-made rich, active and on the go, and dressed to kill? No kids to worry about, and only murders and misdeeds to solve.

And the series begins with glimpses at how the privileged travel -- in big jets, a silver Rolls, or a 1979 Mercedes 450 SL.

One question immediately comes to mind -- is Stephanie Powers more beautiful that the Merecedes she is driving?  

And, is the Mercedes 300 TD a fitting estate wagon sitting in front of their estate?

Clearly, with the top up and Robert Wagner driving the charisma is not there. The R 107 remains a beautiful car, but not at the angle shown. And the driver is so serious.

Nice but not that nice. MS Powers looks no better than plenty of other women one runs across on hte  streets of a big city.

But that start, with a heart and Ms. Powers, may be the reason older women swoon at my 1982 Mercedes 380 SL when I pull into the Kroger parking lot.

Italian F1 Grand Prix Preview 2026

 

Toto Talks Monza

Monza and Madrid begin an important period for us. The field has compressed to the point where several teams can win on merit, and the price of a mistake is much higher. We have put ourselves in a strong position in both championships, but nobody in our team is under any illusion about how difficult the next races will be.

For us, Monza begins with a challenge. Kimi will take a power unit penalty and start from the back of the grid. It's disappointing for him and for the fans who want to see him fighting from the front in his home race, but our sport doesn't reward sentiment. When you make decisions that benefit the championship campaign, sometimes you pay a short-term price. The objective now is straightforward: recover as many places as possible and maximize the points. On the other side of the garage, George arrives with good momentum after Zandvoort and will be looking to put himself firmly in the fight from the start of the weekend.

Monza is an energy-poor track; you spend much of the lap asking everything from the power unit and don't have many opportunities to charge the battery. With the current regulations, that creates compromises that will need to be managed carefully. It is an interesting challenge and one that will likely lead to an exciting weekend.

Third Driver Insight

With its long straights and unique demands, Monza is very different to circuits like Zandvoort and Budapest, which are much more energy-rich. At Monza, energy management will be a key factor, so both the engineers and the drivers will need to be extremely efficient with the energy available. That could create some fascinating racing and open the door to different strategic approaches throughout the weekend.

As always at Monza, teams will be working hard to achieve the lowest possible drag levels to maximise top speed on the straights. It will be a challenging weekend for the team, particularly with Kimi taking an engine penalty, but Monza is one of the best places on the calendar to make progress through the field. The slipstream effect creates overtaking opportunities, so there will be chances for him to fight his way forward.

Monza is a truly special venue. The circuit is steeped in motorsport history and has a unique atmosphere that you don't find anywhere else. Racing there almost feels like stepping back in time, connecting today's F1 with generations of drivers and teams that have competed at this legendary track over the years.

Did you know?

• The high-speed nature of Monza means the Italian Grand Prix is often one of the shortest races of the year. If run uninterrupted, it usually takes around one hour and 15 minutes from lights out to the chequered flag.
• Monza can also prove to be one of the hottest races of the season for air temperature, with averages highs of 28.2C, and 31.3C max.
• The Italian Grand Prix is the only Grand Prix to have appeared on every single F1 calendar since 1950.
• No circuit in F1 history has held more Grands Prix than Monza.
• Mercedes has recorded seven wins at the Italian Grand Prix. Two with Juan Manuel Fangio in 1954 and 1955, four with Lewis Hamilton and one with Nico Rosberg.
• In 2021, Monza hosted the F1 Sprint format, which was won by Valtteri Bottas.
• George won races at Monza at both GP3 (2017) and Formula 2 (2018) levels.
• Kimi won races at Monza in Italian F4 in 2022 and FRECA in 2023.
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Tracing (Or chasing) the provenance or history of my Mercedes 380 SL

 When I purchased my Mercedes 380 SL in 2014, I received a few service documents. Using them along with Carfax. I have traced the history of the car that I purchased in 2014 with 99k miles. Assumptions can be made with this evidence.  First, more than likely the car had one owner who lived in Yorba Linda CA until 1999. Then its fate changed dramatically. Auctioned off. moved to Arizona where we have a record of  repairs to brakes, suspension and air conditioning. Back to the San Diego area and Chula Vista in 2004, then in 2007 purchased by Susan Platt of San Diego who suffered with numerous repairs until selling it to me in 2014. 

I have not been able to locate MS. Platt or previous owners. Their stories would make interesting reading, as their lives are intertwined with this car. It is a rather common car with rather  common former owners, but their stories matter.

ANY Help with leads on AZ or CA title searches would be much appreciated.

Date mileage location Comments

8/8/1990 "42,068" "Yorba Linda, CA"

8/13/1992 "49,786"

8/5/1994 "57,006"

10/11/1996 "66,123"

11/3/1999 "76,901" "Newport Beach, CA"

11/3/1999 Auto Auction PAC SW

11/3/1999

2/7/2000 "76,950" AZ inspection

22/8/2000 "Apache Junction, AZ"

1/23/2001 "78,985" "Mesa, AZ"

12/14/2001 "79,000"

12/31/2001 "Mesa, AZ"

10/30/2002 "Prescott, AZ" "$2,271 work done, Brakes, AC, IGN, Suspension, mis."

2/5/2004 83344 "Prescott, AZ" "$1.252.01 work done, AC"

2/20/2004 CA Smog Check Chula Vista miles reached the high 70k by 2001, when it reuted

2/4/2006 89120 CA Smog Check Chula Vista

1/22/2007 89833 CA Smog Check San Diego

1/22/2007 89825 Nick's SD Auto repair "Brakes, Monovalve, owned by Susan Platt"

2/2/2007 "89,897" San Diego Nick's routine

1/14/2008 "93,936" San Diego Nicks Replace Coolant tank and door vacuum element

7/162007 91932 "San Diego, nicks" Left Sway Bar Replaced

10/9/2009 "96,970" San Diego Transmission fluid change

10/2/2009 "96,270" San Diego Replace Calipers left and Right Front

6/17/2010 "97,270" San Diego Questionable mileage???? "Odometer, $240 Speedo Shop"

1/14/2011 "98,745" Odometer not working again