Japan was a case of what could have been. We showed good pace throughout practice but failed to translate that into our qualifying performance. That hurt our chances of claiming a strong result on Sunday. Suzuka is a difficult circuit to overtake at and, with the race being a comfortable one-stop, there were limited opportunities to move forward. There are positives we can take from the weekend though. The car once again showed potential and, if we had executed more cleanly, a podium was a possibility.
Bahrain will be another test of the progress we have made with this year's car. It is a rear limited circuit, an abrasive surface, and typically we see hot track temperatures. That makes it tough on the tyres and is the type of track we struggled at last year. Contributing to our weekend will be our Reserve Driver, Fred Vesti. He will jump in George's car for FP1, fulfilling the first of two rookie sessions we need to run this year. Through his work in the simulator, Fred has driven more miles in the W16 than any of our other drivers. He has played an important role in its ongoing development and performance with his work in Brackley. This is another good opportunity for him to do that but this time on the race track.
I am really looking forward to getting my first taste of the W16 in FP1 in Bahrain. Being able to put all of my simulator work into practice on the track is a really exciting prospect for me. I am grateful to Mercedes for once again giving me this opportunity.
At the start of the year, I set myself the goal of maximising every chance I get behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2025, and that is what I hope to achieve in Bahrain. I will be doing everything I can to help the team, George and Kimi get set for the rest of the weekend.
Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing is entering the twelfth season of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS with a first-class team and driver line-up. The opening race will once again take place at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, from 11 to 13 April. A total of eight Mercedes-AMG GT3s, entered by four customer sports teams, will be represented in the six-hour race. The season comprises five Endurance Cup races and five Sprint Cup races. For Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, the aim is to defend at least six titles.
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
The first round of the Sprint Cup will take place on 3 and 4 May at Brands Hatch. The 3.9-kilometre track south-east of London was also the first stop of the Sprint Cup in 2024. A total of four Mercedes-AMG GT3s from two different teams – Boutsen VDS and Winward Racing – will be on the grid. Further races will take place at Zandvoort (16 to 18 May), Misano (18 to 20 July), Magny-Cours (1 to 3 August) and Valencia (19 to 21 September). Lucas Auer and Maro Engel from Team Winward Racing will be aiming to defend their Sprint Cup title.
Intercontinental GT World Challenge classification
For Mercedes-AMG, it is also about continuing the winning streak in the intercontinental GT World Challenge manufacturers' championship. This classification comprises the race results of the GT World Challenge Europe as well as the GT World Challenge America, the GT World Challenge Asia and the GT World Challenge Australia. Mercedes-AMG has been able to bring this title to Affalterbach every year since the brand classification was introduced in 2019.
The foundation stone for the current season was laid last weekend in the GT World Challenge America: Mikaël Grenier (CAN) and Michai Stephens (USA) from Team JMF Motorsports won the first race in Sonoma, while Jeff Burton (USA) and Philip Ellis (SUI) from Team Regulator Racing won the second race. The GT World Challenge Australia kicks off next weekend in Phillip Island. The GT World Challenge Asia starts from 11 to 13 April at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
“We have once again been able to put together a very strong driver and team line-up for the GT World Challenge this year. I'm proud of that and the goal is clear: we want to give our customer teams the best possible support and at least defend the six titles we won last year. That will certainly not be easy in this highly competitive series. But at the end of the day, we are competing to be at the top.”
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing
“I'm looking forward to the GT World Challenge races with Boutsen VDS. Our paths have crossed again and again for 19 years. We want to fight for victories and podium places together – everyone works very hard to achieve this. I am allowed to compete with the team in both championships. I think and hope that this is an advantage. The highlight is, of course, the 24-hour race at Spa. It's the biggest GT race in the world, it's the biggest race in the championship and it's a Belgian race. As a Belgian driver with a Belgian team, I really want to win the race again.”
Maxime Martin, Boutsen VDS #9
“The Circuit Paul Ricard is only two hours away from my home. Every year, many family members, friends and fans come to this race to support me. The GT World Challenge is a great championship where the competition is really strong. 2025 is my tenth year in a row and it's always great to be part of it. Fabi Schiller, Luca Stolz and I have a very good team spirit. We had a tough last year. But Team GetSpeed has put a lot of effort into preparing for the new season and I can't wait to put it all into practice and finally see where we stand.”
Jules Gounon, Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed #17
“I'm really looking forward to my second full season in the GT World Challenge. We were a really strong team last year and delivered with the Overall and Sprint Cup titles. Nevertheless, we used the winter intensively, studied and analysed data and want to top it all again in 2025. With Matteo Cairoli, we have gained a top driver in the Endurance Cup and we are all really looking forward to the new season.”
Lucas Auer, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #48
“It's a great feeling to start the season as defending champion. Nevertheless, all the points will be reset to zero and the competition for titles and trophies will start all over again. We will approach the whole thing down to earth again, with hard work and determination. The level in the GT World Challenge is once again extremely high, but we also have a very strong driver line-up. We want to compete for the title in all three competitions again this year. The Endurance Cup has the greatest potential for improvement.”
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #4
All-brand classic car meet “Classics & Coffee” at the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Photograph from 2024. Photo: Thomas Niedermüller. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archive: D840327)
The Mercedes-Benz Museum’s classic car meet “Classics & Coffee” opens the new season on 13 April 2025. Every Sunday up to and including 12 October 2025, drivers of all makes of late-model classics and vintage cars are once again invited to a relaxed get-together on the Museum hill. Right at the start on 13 April, everything will revolve around the topic of young classics – in line with the new special exhibition of the same name (11 April to 2 November 2025) at the Museum. Numerous new offers and hands-on activities will make the classic car meet even more interesting this year.
Classics & Coffee Sundays regularly attract several hundred classic cars from Stuttgart and the region, some even from abroad. Participation is free of charge; advance registration is not required. The all-brand event inspires everyone: petrolheads with their own vehicles and Museum guests without their own classic cars. The relaxed, informal atmosphere and the opportunity to talk to everyone and share the fascination of classics and late-model classics characterise the event. New caterer Wilhelmer will be providing good coffee and other culinary delights.
From the 1920s onwards, the most important motorsport events were called “Grandes Épreuves”. The Grand Prix European Championship was created from these “Grand Tests” in 1931 – but was suspended in 1933 and 1934. Nonetheless, races were still held. From 1934, Mercedes-Benz joined the fray with the new W 25 and won two of the six Grandes Épreuves – on a par with Alfa Romeo. From 1935 to 1939, the European Championship title was again awarded, but with different racing formulae. The first championship race according to the 750-kilogram formula introduced in 1934 took place on 22 April 1935. Italian racing driver Luigi Fagioli won it with the Mercedes-Benz W 25. In 1935, the ME 25 engine of the first Silver Arrow produced up to 363 kW (494 hp) at 5,800 rpm from a displacement of 4,740 cubic centimetres. Mercedes-Benz dominated the 1935 motorsport season. Rudolf Caracciola became European champion, as he did in 1937 (with the W 125) and 1938 (with the W 154 for the new, displacement-based racing formula). In 1939, his team-mate Hermann Lang won the most races in the European Championship with the W 154. After the end of the war, the brand entered the new Formula 1 World Championship in 1954 and 1955, with Juan Manuel Fangio twice becoming champion in the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R. Mercedes-Benz returned to Formula 1 in 1994 and has been represented in the premier class of motorsport ever since: initially as an engine supplier for Sauber, McLaren and Brawn, and with its own works team since 2010.
Driver | Grid | Result | Fastest Lap | Start Tyre | Stop One |
George Russell | P2 | P3 | 1:35.816 | Medium | Hard (L14) |
Kimi Antonelli | P8 | P8 | 1:36.046 | Medium | Hard (L12) |
P3 was the maximum for us today. We can therefore be pleased with the result and getting our second podium in two races to start the season. I made a good start and tried to take the lead from Oscar (Piastri). It was unfortunate to not be able to make the pass, and then to lose out to Lando, but fair play to Oscar as he defended well. Overall, the McLarens were just a little bit too quick for us. As much as we want our race to be with them, at the moment it isn’t. We therefore have to be happy that we were best of the rest today.
It has been a really positive start our season. We finished P3 in Melbourne, P4 in the Sprint yesterday, and P3 again today. We have been consistent, and the car has felt good. We will keep working hard to make it faster and hopefully we can close the gap to the very front.
The race was pretty tough after I suffered floor damage on lap one. It looks like I hit some debris and that affected the performance quite heavily. I struggled with the rear in particular after that and that was something I wasn’t expecting. It definitely hindered my pace, but it was good learning to have to deal with that. I think we can still be happy that we were able to bring home some points in P8, even though that wasn’t what we were hoping for ahead of the race. I want to say a thank you to the fans for voting me driver of the day. I definitely wasn’t expecting it given how my race went but it’s great to see the support from the fans.
Overall, I’m happy with how I, and the team as a whole, have started the year. I think one of the main points of learning for me has been Qualifying. If I can put it all together on a Saturday then we will be starting further forward, less likely to get involved in incidents, and can maximise the pace of the car. I’m excited to get to work ahead of the next triple-header and come back refreshed for the races in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
That was a solid afternoon’s work. A podium felt like the realistic best-case scenario for us ahead of the race and that is what we were able to achieve. We knew that the McLarens were going to be very strong, and that the Ferraris and Verstappen were also going to be a threat. I don’t often give 10 out of 10s as I think there is always room to improve but George was faultless today. He extracted the maximum from the car and for me, that was a 10 out of 10 drive. He has started this season incredibly well and is performing exactly as we knew he would as the senior driver.
Kimi’s race was unfortunately compromised by floor damage he sustained on the first lap. He kept his head down though and fought really hard, despite the sizeable performance deficit he was carrying, to come home a creditable P8. He didn’t complain throughout the race, just kept focused on the job, and that’s exactly what we want to see.
Overall, it’s been a good start to the new season. The ambition is to win but we don’t feel any entitlement that we should. The car is not quite as fast as the McLaren as the moment, but the team are working hard to close that gap. For now, we are maximising the performance we have and to leave China second in the Constructors’ Championship, having taken two podiums for the first two races, is satisfying.
We're very pleased to get our second podium of the year with George. He lost one place in the first corner, which meant that McLaren could control the race and realistically, third was the best we could achieve today. There was still a threat to defend from behind with the Ferraris and Verstappen, but it was encouraging that we had the pace to keep them at arm’s length today.
Kimi was unlucky to pick up debris damage to his underfloor on lap one when he likely ran over some bits of the Ferrari front wing. That really hurt his performance today. We're nevertheless pleased that he could bring home some points, but it's a shame as he would have had fun racing with Verstappen and the Ferraris had it not been for that damage.
Overall, we're pleased with how the first two races of the season have gone. The car is working well over a range of conditions and whilst we'll always hope for more, the performance we've seen is encouraging as we can certainly improve from here. This is the most solid start to a season that we've had for three years. We have a big task ahead of us to catch McLaren but we're not short of motivation and very excited for the season ahead.
The second race of the 2025 F1 season takes place at the Shanghai International Circuit in China, incorporating the first Sprint weekend of the year.
We leave Australia with many positives but also a healthy dose of realism as to where we stand in the pecking order. The W16 provided a stable platform for the drivers, was less prone to swings in performance relative to the conditions than its predecessor, and at moments, showed strong enough pace to challenge at the front. It’s clear we have taken a good step forward over the winter. Our focus is now on unlocking more potential and adding performance. We are excited for that challenge.
The race itself was well-executed. We made the right decisions at the right time to claim our first podium of the season. George drove a flawless race, pushing when he needed to, managing his pace to capitalise on the podium and taking advantage of the opportunities when they presented themselves. A top performance and just underlies his speed, maturity and intelligence.
For Kimi, he could not have asked for a more difficult task on his Grand Prix debut: starting out of position, facing extremely difficult conditions and, at times, a treacherous track.
Nevertheless, he handled everything that was thrown at him with a maturity beyond his years. His speed when in free air was impressive and his confidence and decisiveness when overtaking were superb. There will be challenging moments for him across the season, but we are pleased with the trajectory we are seeing from him already. P4 was a just reward.
We now head to Shanghai and look forward to returning to China after what was a remarkable Grand Prix last year. You could sense the passion and energy from the fans as F1 returned to the country for the first time in five years. As the world's largest automotive market, and one of the world's biggest economies, China is crucial to the sport's global footprint. I am sure this year will see another great event.
The automobile pioneer and company founder Gottlieb Daimler died in Cannstatt 125 years ago, on 6 March 1900, at the age of only 65. The Mercedes-Benz Group is honouring his outstanding achievements for the company and the development of modern mobility.
“A new form of propulsion for mobility on land, at sea and in the air: as a visionary, engineer and company founder, Gottlieb Daimler was firmly convinced that innovative technology could change people’s lives for the better. If this cosmopolitan mobility pioneer were alive today, he would be seeking solutions for tomorrow in the same way. We at Mercedes-Benz Heritage are proud of Daimler’s legacy and bring it to life through our work.”
Marcus Breitschwerdt, CEO Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH
Gottlieb Daimler was born in Schorndorf on 17 March 1834 to a family of bakers, and trained as a gunsmith after leaving school. The talented young craftsman came to the attention of Ferdinand Steinbeis, the principal promoter of Württemberg’s industrialisation. It was he who financed Daimler’s studies with scholarships as well as his stays abroad. The young man seized the opportunity with great vigour, became an engineer and turned his innovative ideas into new products. “Success only comes when visions become deeds,” is how Daimler described his personal approach.
After holding several management positions in the mechanical engineering industry, Gottlieb Daimler settled in Cannstatt in 1882 and purchased a villa on Taubenheimstrasse. He had a brick extension added to the greenhouse in the large garden to create a workshop – it became the nucleus of his own start-up company with the aim of “disruption” in the modern sense of the word. It was here that he, together with his long-time companion and colleague Wilhelm Maybach, developed the high-speed four-stroke engine as a universal drive system. The single-cylinder unit replaced traditional drive systems. It was used in road and rail vehicles, boats and airships, among other things. Compact and powerful, the engine allowed for a completely new level of mobility.
Daimler and Maybach reached a milestone in 1885: They tested the high-speed four-stroke internal combustion engine in public with the two-wheeled Reitwagen, or “riding car” in English. It was the first road vehicle in the world with this drive system, and at the same time the first “motorcycle” in history. Daimler applied for a patent for the invention (DRP 36423 dated 29 August 1885).
To mark “140 Years of the Reitwagen”, Mercedes-Benz Classic is putting an authentic replica of the motorcycle with a wooden frame and Daimler single-cylinder engine into action: at the open-brand classic car meet Classics & Coffee at the Mercedes-Benz Museum on 31 August 2025, a special event on the theme of “Motorcycles”.
After the riding car, progress was rapid: the Daimler motor carriage, the first four-wheeled automobile in history, made its début in mid-1886. Shortly before that, in January, Carl Benz patented his three-wheeled motor car. The two automobile pioneers Benz and Daimler worked independently and without meeting in person. In 1886, Gottlieb Daimler also presented his motorboat, followed in 1888 by the world’s first powered flight with Dr Friedrich Hermann Wölfert’s airship, which was propelled by a Daimler engine. Gottlieb Daimler’s vision of mobility on land, at sea and in the air thus became a reality.
Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) was founded in 1890. It was one of the predecessor companies of today’s Mercedes-Benz Group. In 1893, the cosmopolitan Gottlieb Daimler presented a modified version of the “steel-wheeled car” at the World Fair in Chicago, the first publicly presented and operational automobile in North America. In the years that followed, he continued to promote the use of his invention and thus individual mobility in France and England, among other countries – and of course also in Germany. Daimler has to overcome resistance again and again – from the early skepticism about automobiles in Germany to the tough disputes with the shareholders of DMG. Ultimately, he prevails with his visionary spirit. But these challenges took their toll on Daimler’s health. From the 1880s onwards, he suffered from heart problems, from which the automotive pioneer died relatively young.
The house where Gottlieb Daimler was born in Schorndorf and the Daimler Garden House in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt commemorate his life and work. More about these and other historic locations from the history of Mercedes-Benz: group.mercedes-benz.com/company/tradition/museums-historical-places/
So much for range anxiety!
In 2012, Rafael de Mestre traveled around the world for the first time in his Tesla Roadster and won against a French team. In 2016 he drove around the world in 80 days.
On June 16, 2016, he made a second trip around the world[which began at the Arc de Triomf in Barcelona and ended on September 4, 2016, with his Tesla Model S.[ In this endeavor he was joined by 11 international teams. The race is designed to promote the role of electric cars globally as a sustainable means of transportation around the world in all types of terrain and climates.
The race is also aimed at fostering innovation and development of EV technology to increase the distances that electric cars can cover without needing to stop for charging.[12]
September 6, 2022.he shipped his Tesla Roadster emission free with a sailing ship over the Atlantic Ocean to US and started by this the third around the world trip which he finished 2024 after a lot of delays because of the Fremantle Highway Fox News rumor that an EV could have caused the fire there. Even after it was proved an EV not being the cause of the fire, ship captains denied to transport EVs.
Just after arriving he started his 4th round-the-world trip for 2024. A family with 3 kids in a Model 3 followed him and again he broke a world record. This time the longest trip in a standard electric car 42.105 km.
He is planning the 5th edition for 2030 and started recruiting teams who want to be one of the knights of the round table fighting against pollution.
