F1 Miami Grand Prix Preview 2025

Toto Talks Miami

We have had a good start to the season but we have no sense of entitlement or complacency. We want to continue, and build on, the positive trajectory we have established so far in the first five races. Saudi Arabia was a more challenging Grand Prix but, with temperatures high and the same tyre compound range as in Jeddah, we have plenty of learnings we can take into this weekend. We are therefore hopeful of a more competitive showing.

Miami is an iconic city and the whole event has become one of the set-piece races on the calendar. This year, we have several exciting activations including film premieres, technology forums, partner events, our own trackside hospitality offering and more, as we celebrate the roots of both Miami and the team. We will have a different look as part of that campaign this week as we drop our first special edition adidas collaboration. We are also looking forward to seeing Doriane on track in a bespoke Miami livery as part of F1 Academy. It's going to be an action-packed weekend and we hope to make it a highlight of the 2025 season so far, on and off the track.

Fact File: Miami Grand Prix

• This will be the fourth Miami Grand Prix, with the race first appearing on the calendar in 2022.
• The 5.412 km Miami International Autodrome is the 11^th track based in the USA to host a Grand Prix –  Las Vegas became the 12^th when it debuted on the calendar in 2023.
• The track in Miami ranks high in terms of top speeds achieved comparative with other circuits, with only Monza, the Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico, Baku, and Las Vegas seeing higher top speeds this season. Miami together with Baku are amongst the highest circuits for drag sensitivity.
• After the first edition of the race in 2022, the track was resurfaced with a new aggregate, offering improved grip for the drivers with the aim of increasing overtaking opportunities.
• The Miami International Autodrome is one of nine on the 2025 F1 calendar to run in an anti-clockwise direction.
• Miami hosted the F1 Sprint format for the first time in 2024 and will do so again in 2025.
• F1 ACADEMY and our team junior driver Doriane Pin will again be on the F1 support bill schedule this weekend, as it was in 2024.
• Miami is the only Grand Prix on the current F1 calendar that the Mercedes F1 works team has not won a race at. The team in its current guise (since 2010) has won everywhere else except for the Netherlands, but Juan Manuel Fangio did win the 1955 Dutch Grand Prix for the Silver Arrows.
• 75 different circuit patterns were designed, and 36 simulated, before the final track layout was decided on before the first race in 2022.
• The circuit races around the grounds of the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins NFL team and the Miami Open ATP and WTA tennis tournaments.
• Off track, the team hospitality units within the paddock have been moved on to the pitch inside Hard Rock Stadium. A new Paddock Club building has also been built.

Pope Francis drove himself around the Vatican in a used Renault 4

 

Thanks to Ed for pointing this article out to me!

Pope Francis has made no secret of his efforts to save money and reform the Vatican's finances and now he's found a new way to cut costs.

The Pontiff accepted a gift of a 20-year-old car and drove himself around St. Peter's Square.

The car was a gift from Father Renzo Zocca, who told Italian magazine Famiglia Cristiana he wanted to give the Pope a gift following his effort to create a church for the poor.

"What better than my old Renault 4?" he asked.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Ciro Benedettini said Francis accepted the 1984 Renault 4, and actually did his own driving.

The car, in spotless papal white, has 190,000 miles on its odometer and a manual gearbox.The BBC's David Willey in Rome said the Pope's bodyguards were amazed when he took the keys and drove off.

"The security personnel next to me were very concerned because they understood that he would be tooling around the Vatican in my car," Zocca told Famiglia Cristiana.

"I left some snow chains in the trunk. You never know," he added.

Pope Francis is known for his humble lifestyle and said he used to drive the same car back in his native Argentina.

He's been on a push to convince Vatican priests to save money by skipping expensive limousines.

For decades, popes have used the fortress-like Popemobile, which features a raised seat and panoramic, bullet-proof windows, for public trips outside Rome.

But Francis has already been parking the Popemobile in favor of simpler, open-topped cars.

Preview -- F! Grand Prix RACE IN Saudi Arabia

The fifth race of the 2025 F1 season takes place in Saudi Arabia, the final leg of the triple-header. 

• Toto talks Saudi Arabia
• Fact File: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
• Stat Sheet: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Toto Talks Saudi Arabia

Bahrain was an eventful race. George battled through several failures on his car to take P2 along with his, and the team's, third podium of the season. It was a superb drive from him under significant pressure, aided by the calm troubleshooting input from the team. We are hard at work to understand what caused the issues we had in order to avoid a repeat in the future.

For Kimi, Bahrain was an important part of the learning curve. He showed through the weekend that he had the pace to challenge for the top-five. He found himself out of position on the opening lap though and, as he fought back in the opening two stints, his tyres suffered. Switching to a different strategy, he was then unfortunate with the timing of the Safety Car and our choices didn’t give him the chance to fight back to the points.

It has been easy to forget that Kimi is in the very earliest stages of his F1 career given his performances so far. Bahrain will prove an important milestone in his continued development.

We now head to Saudi Arabia for the final race in this triple-header. Although we were encouraged by our performance in Bahrain, Jeddah poses a different challenge. We go from a rear-limited track to one that is more front-limited, with several high and medium-speed sections. It would be foolish to try and predict the likely order but we will be aiming to fight for the podium once again.

Another driver aiming to do similar will be our F1 Academy racer, Doriane (Pin). It’s round two of the championship and we will be supporting her trackside as she bids to increase her points lead.

Fact File: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

• The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is held on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, located in a waterfront area next to the Red Sea.
• The location presents similar challenges to Abu Dhabi with sand blowing onto the track and changes in wind direction from day to night.
• The Jeddah Corniche Circuit has the most corners of any track on the F1 calendar with 27: 16 left and 11 right.
• The pit lane in Jeddah is the fourth longest on the F1 calendar, but the time spent in the pit lane is the second shortest of the year at 15 seconds.
• It is also the third-longest track we visit at 6.174km. Only Las Vegas and Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium are longer.
• Turn 13 has a 12% gradient, with banked corners opening up more lines and helping to build momentum onto the next sweeping, high-speed section.
• Turn 2 is the slowest corner on the circuit, taken around 80 km/h, whilst the quickest are Turns 20, 21, and 26 which are taken at 300 km/h.
• Owing to its nature as a street circuit, Jeddah has a high risk of incidents leading to Safety Cars. Across the four races in Saudi Arabia to date there have been five full Safety Car periods, and two red flags.
• Drivers will spend around 70% of their lap time at full throttle around the Corniche. Only Melbourne and Monza record a higher figure than that.
• Jeddah has the fourth-shortest pit lane on the calendar, and drivers will only lose 15 seconds by making a pit stop, the third-shortest loss of the season.
• The run down from pole position to the first braking point is the fourth-shortest of the season. Only Belgium, Baku and Las Vegas are shorter.
• Mercedes won the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021 with Lewis Hamilton. First held in December as the penultimate race, the event has taken residence in the early portion of the season ever since.
• In 2024, Jeddah hosted the first round of the all-female F1 ACADEMY series – which officially joined the F1 support bill full-time that season. It will host the second round of the championship in 2025.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car “722”

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car (W 196 S) with number 722 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Legend Room 7: Silver Arrows – Races and Records. Close-up of the dashboard with labelling of the display and control elements.

Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car (W 196 S) with number 722 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Legend Room 7: Silver Arrows – Races and Records. Close-up of the dashboard with the central rev counter and other elements. Photo: Thomas Niedermüller. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: D851163)

Mille Miglia (Brescia/Italy), 1 May 1955. Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson, the eventual overall winners, on the starting ramp in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing car (W 196 S) with number 722. (Photo index number in the Mercedes-Benz Classic Archives: R314)An imposing number: The “722” stands out immediately. The large, red number shines on the front, sides and rear of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing sports car at the Mercedes-Benz Museum. This is one of the brand’s most famous racing cars – the Silver Arrow with which Stirling Moss and Denis Jenkinson won the Mille Miglia 70 years ago. What a successful racing début for the 300 SLR! The number stands for 7:22 am. That was the set time for the British team to leave the starting line on 1 May 1955. It was the beginning of an epic 1,000-mile road race from Brescia to Rome and back.

Made for the road: A Silver Arrow with indicators and lights, number plate and country identifier? The equipment of the 300 SLR in the racing curve in Legend Room 7 seems unusual for a motorsport vehicle. The dashboard even looks almost like something from a 1950s passenger car. But this is deceptive: the racing sports car was a thoroughbred competition vehicle based on the W 196 R Formula 1 racing car. Unlike the latter, the 300 SLR had road approval. It was built for long-distance races on public roads closed for this purpose, as well as for competitions on racing circuits.

Workplace: The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR has a large array of controls. For example, a rotary switch to the left of the steering wheel activates the ignition and switches the parking, dipped and main beam headlamps in several stages. The starter button is located directly to its left. The indicator switch is located to the right of the steering wheel. The red control lamps for the indicators and ignition are to the right of the rev counter; the blue lamp for the main beam is to the left. By way of comparison, the W 196 R has just three round gauges and one switch.

Fresh air and sparks: In the 300 SLR, the driver also operates the fresh air flap with a lever at the bottom left of the dashboard, regulates cold starting with the choke on the far right behind the steering wheel, and keeps an eye on the warning indicator for the fuel reserve on the right below the rev counter. And finally, the Scintilla magneto ignition switch is positioned almost level with the front passenger. The choice between the settings 0, 1, 2 and 1+2 determines which magneto is switched on – or whether both work at the same time. The Swiss manufacturer Scintilla (Italian for “spark”) has been majority-owned by Bosch since 1954.

Full focus: The driver has a direct view of the large, centrally positioned Veglia rev counter through the steering wheel. The scale goes up to 11,000 rpm, with the red marker for the optimum engine speed at 7,000 rpm – that is where the three-litre M 196 S in-line eight-cylinder engine produces a continuous output of 203 kW (276 hp). To the left and right of the rev counter are smaller gauges for oil pressure and coolant temperature. The only thing the racing car lacks is a speedometer, because the motto is always this: drive as fast as the technology and route allow.

Three or four spokes: The perfection of Mercedes-Benz even allowed racing drivers to choose the steering wheel. 70 years ago, Stirling Moss opted for a three-spoke steering wheel in order to always have an optimum view of the instruments. Immediately after winning the Mille Miglia, the British racing driver was given the steering wheel as a souvenir. Instead, the mechanics fitted the four-spoke version in his racing sports car in 1955. Today, the 300 SLR “722” is once again equipped with an authentic reproduction of the three-spoke steering wheel. As a matter of honor, Stirling Moss always used his original 1955 steering wheel as a brand ambassador in this car.

Big “D”: The racing sports car has a large “D” on the boot lid. This is a clever detail in its own right: the country identifier for the Federal Republic of Germany can be flipped up and unlocks the hatch. There are two spare wheels underneath. For all the car’s roadworthiness, a rear silencer has been dispensed with and two open tailpipes trumpet their message on the right side of the vehicle. That is why there is no door there. Only the driver can get in and out more easily on the left with the help of a low, upswinging flap.

Just like in the saddle: A look inside the roadster reveals the unusual layout of the pedals. The accelerator and brake pedals are located to the right of the wide transmission tunnel, while the clutch is operated on the left. The upholstery of the bucket seat is covered in chequered blue gabardine fabric, also familiar from the 300 SL “Gullwing” (W 198). The side bolsters are covered with blue leather. In the transmission tunnel, the drive shaft rotates at up to 7,800 rpm and transmits the power of the eight-cylinder engine to the transmission on the rear axle.

Aerodynamic: The body of the 300 SLR is aerodynamically optimised. This also includes the two streamlined shrouds behind the head restraints. These can be folded up with a quick-release fastener. The one on the driver’s side exposes the fuel filler cap. A plastic windscreen protects the crew of the 300 SLR from the powerful airstream in the open-top racing car. In 1955, the material allowed for a frameless construction with a strong curvature, especially at the sides.

Full speed ahead with the pacenotes: Owing to the special pedal layout, the driver’s seat widens towards the front. The co-driver therefore has to make do with a narrower and lower bucket seat. Nevertheless, it is essential that the co-driver has a good view of the route. The navigation by co-driver Denis Jenkinson was a major factor in the victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia. The British motoring journalist read the details of the route out to Stirling Moss from a roll of paper held in a sturdy metal case screwed to the dashboard. An authentic reproduction of these pacenotes is on display in front of the racing curve as part of the Mercedes-Benz Museum’s “33 Extras” series.

At the limit: The British star racing driver got the utmost out of the 300 SLR in the 1955 Mille Miglia. Whether on narrow mountain passes, through towns or on long, flat straights, thanks to the navigating Jenkinson, he always drove at the limit. After 10:07:48 hours for the 1,600 kilometres and with a sensational average speed of 157.6 km/h, the two crossed the finishing line. “Almost 100 mph!” A magic number that Moss never forgot. The outstanding speed ensured a spectacular victory and the best time ever achieved at the Mille Miglia. Juan Manuel Fangio in second place in the overall rating completed the double triumph for Mercedes-Benz.

Car autograph: “We did it together – my thanks and affection”. Sir Stirling Moss wrote this dedication and signed his name on the silver paint of the bonnet directly in front of the driver’s seat on 19 May 2005, 50 years after his legendary victory. “The 300 SLR was the finest car ever built”, he said in 2015 about the vehicle, adding, “To drive this Mercedes was fantastic!” The racing driver’s life was inextricably linked with the 300 SLR. When he passed away on 12 April 2020 at the age of 90, Mercedes-Benz Classic honoured him with, among other things, the short film “The Last Blast”. It shows a unique drive of the “722” through London, the home of the great Mercedes-Benz racing driver and long-standing brand ambassador of Mercedes-Benz Classic. Link: https://media.mercedes-benz.com/article/0c4a0a8f-bb46-43f7-b578-fa5827b921a1/(lightbox:video/1db0357c-347e-4c0a-bf8b-231cab8b68c5)

Successful season 70 years ago: 1955 was the most successful motorsport season until then for Mercedes-Benz. After a dramatic finale in the Targa Florio in October, the 300 SLR (W 196 S) won the World Sportscar Championship for the brand. Fangio won his second Formula 1 World Championship in a row with the Silver Arrow W 196 R. 1955 also saw the serious accident at Le Mans with 83 fatalities, among them Mercedes-Benz works driver Pierre Levegh. However, the tragedy was not the decisive factor in the brand’s withdrawal from racing at the end of the 1955 season. The decision had been made beforehand because, from 1956 on, the company wanted to concentrate entirely on the development of new production vehicles. The 300 SLR enjoyed just one brilliant year on the racetrack.

Bahrain F1 Grand Prix Results 2025

Formula One - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli

• A superb drive from George Russell saw him finish second in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
• Kimi Antonelli was 11^th on a challenging evening for the 18-year-old Italian, in only his fourth ever F1 race.
• George, starting P3 following a one-place grid penalty, made that position back almost immediately by passing the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc into turn one.
• Kimi meanwhile dropped two positions on the opening lap but fought back after his first stop on lap 13 as he battled for the top six.
• The team opted to switch Kimi to a three-stop strategy, aiming to use the Soft tyre to make up positions but this opportunity was negated somewhat shortly after with the Safety Car being deployed on lap 32.
• Both drivers took new Soft tyres as the race was neutralised, with George taking the restart in P2 and Kimi having dropped outside the top-10.
• Both George and Kimi fought hard in the closing stages, with George holding off a hard-charging Lando Norris whilst battling electrical issues to take P2, his third podium in four races to start 2025.
• Kimi meanwhile battled his way to the outskirts of the points but fell agonisingly short in P11.
• The team now returns to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next week, the final installment in this triple-header.

Iconic German actress Brigitte Helm in her 1931 Mercedes-Benz 19/100 PS Type Nürburg 500 Convertible.

 

Iconic German actress Brigitte Helm in her 1931 Mercedes-Benz 19/100 PS Type Nürburg 500 Convertible.

Brigitte Helm (born Brigitte Eva Gisela Schittenhelm, 17 March 1908 – 11 June 1996) was a German actress, best remembered for her dual role as Maria and her double the Maschinenmensch in Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film Metropolis.

Born Brigitte Eva Gisela Schittenhelm in Berlin, Helm's first role was that of Maria in Metropoliswhich she began work on while only 18 years old. After Metropolis, Helm made over 30 other films, including talking pictures, before retiring in 1935. Her other appearances include The Love of Jeanne Ney (1927), Alraune (1928), L'Argent (1928), Gloria (1931), The Blue Danube(1932), L'Atlantide (1932), and Gold (1934). Helm was considered for the title role in Bride of Frankenstein before Elsa Lanchester was given the role.

Though having a 10-year contract with UFAexpiring in 1935, Helm incurred the wrath of Nazi Germany for "race defilement" in marrying her second husband Dr. Hugo Kunheim, an industrialist of Jewish background. Helm was also involved in several traffic accidents, and was briefly imprisoned. According to Otto Dietrich's book The Hitler I Knew, Adolf Hitler saw that manslaughter charges against her from an automobile accident were dropped.

Helm retired from films because she was "disgusted with the Nazi takeover of the film industry". In 1935, she moved to Switzerland where she later had four children with von Kunheim. In her later years, she refused to grant any interviews concerning her film career.

The 19/100 hp Nürburg 500 is a rear wheel drive convertible/cabriolet car with a front mounted engine, produced by Mercedes-Benz. The 19/100 hp Nürburg 500 is part of Mercedes-Benz's W 08 model range. The 8 cylinder, side valve naturally aspirated engine has 2 valves per cylinder and a volume of 4.9 litres. For this model it develops power and torque figures of 99 bhp (100 PS/74 kW) at 3100 rpm and 253 Nm (187 lbft/25.8 kgm) at 1250 rpm respectively. The engine delivers its power through to the wheels via a 4 speed manual transmission. The quoted kerb weight is 2170 kg. The Mercedes-Benz 19/100 hp Nürburg 500 is said to be able to manage a top speed of 110 km/h or 68 mph. 

Lana Del Rey - Henry, come on (Audio) -- a Lonely Ride to Houston

“All these country singers / And their lonely rides to Houston / Doesn’t really make for the best / You know, settle down type,” she sings on the song’s bridge, before crooning to close out the song: “Last call, “Hey, y’all” / Hang his hat up on the wall/ Tell him that his cowgirl is gone / Go on and giddy up.”

Joe Bund - In der himmelblauen kleinen Limousine (1939); The Joy of Driving and Shifting Gears

I

I ran across this video last night and found it most interesting. 1939 -- for Germans, their world is going to start tipping upside down. Joy will be found less and less. In a totalitarian society, the freedom to drive is on the the last freedoms a upper middle-class German has! And the driver not only decides on where to go, but how to go via the gear shift lever. 

Sad when you think about it, as War will destroy so much in the years that follow.

Teddy Stauffer - Hurry Home (1939)

I found this short video on Youtube last evening.  Again, a video expressing the joys of driving in a year (1939) when the world is about to be turned upside down. The video conveys the notion of speed, travel to distant cities -- on a Autobahn that has little to no traffic. And we see a beautiful women cleaning a windshield while the car is at speed! Top down driving at its best, long with a shot of an American Packard.

the breeders - driving on 9

What a great video and song. Just sit back, listen, and relax! Note all the clips with drivers looking back into the rear view mirror -- just as the lyrics suggest a previous ride on Route 9.  But it isn’t all fun -- plenty of fear, and boy, does it not end well! Can you name all the films used in this video?

Drivin' on 9
You could be a shadow
Beneath the street light
Behind my home

Drivin' on 9
I sure miss you
Pass a motel
Looking at the pines

Drivin' on 9
Looking for one thirty
Maybe I passed it
Go another mile

[Hook]
Drivin' on 9
Drivin' on 9

[Verse 2]
Drivin' on 9
I'll sure look pretty
Carson City
Walking down the ais

Drivin' on 9

Does daddy have a shotgun?
He said he'd never need one
Go another mile

[Hook]
Drivin' on 9

[Verse 3]
Drivin' on 9
Looking out my windowsill
Wondering if I want you still
Wondering what's mine

[Hook]
Drivin' on 9
Drivin' on 9
Drivin' on 9

Formula 1 GR Preview -- Bahrain

Toto Talks Bahrain

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.

Fred Vesti Talks Bahrain

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.

Fact File: Bahrain Grand Prix

• Located in the middle of the desert, on what was formerly a camel farm, the Bahrain International Circuit features 1,120 palm trees.
• Being situated in a desert, you may expect sand to be an issue. However, the surrounding desert is sprayed with a sticky adhesive substance to minimize the amount of sand blowing on to the track.
• From the first breaking of the ground to build the Bahrain International Circuit to completion took just 496 days.
• The total run-off area is 140,000 sq. metres.
• The Bahrain International Circuit has five FIA certified track layouts.
• Focus for car set-up is on optimising low and medium-speed corner performance. Mechanical grip is crucial out of the slower corners, whilst the high-speed sections are easily taken flat-out.
• This will be F1’s second visit to Bahrain in 2025, after the official three-day pre-season test in February.
• The track surface is made from a special aggregate that was shipped from a quarry in England.
• A few adjustments to the circuit have been made for 2025: the gravel bed at the exit of turn four has been extended, U-drains close to the racing line have been closed off and moved away into the run-off areas, and bumps at the start/finish straight and turn nine have been repaired.
• Bahrain has hosted the opening round of the F1 season on six occasions.
• Four different layouts have been used to host the F1 Grands Prix over the years.
• George Russell made his debut for the team in Bahrain at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
• Mercedes has won six times in Bahrain.
• Mercedes’ first race back as a works team in F1 was in Bahrain at the start of the 2010 season.
• Fred Vesti will undertake the first of two compulsory FP1 sessions George must vacate his seat for this season. It will be the third rookie session for Fred after Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2023.
• Fred’s compatriot and team Junior Driver Noah Strømsted will be in FIA Formula 3 action over the weekend.
• The race lap record of 1:31:447 in Bahrain was set by a Mercedes Benz power unit, all the way back in 2005 by Pedro de la Rosa’s McLaren.

Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing -- the 2025 Season is About to Begin

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

Japan Grand Prix F1 -- Preview, Suzuka

Fact File: Japanese Grand Prix

• Suzuka holds the distinction of being the only circuit we race at that is laid out in a figure-of-eight configuration.
• After the Degner Curves, the circuit passes under the straight leading to 130R. Owing to this, it's the only F1 track that runs both clockwise and anticlockwise.
• This figure-of-eight layout is beneficial for tyre wear. It creates a more even balance between left and right-hand corners (10 being right-handers and eight to the left), distributing load more equally between tyres.
• The first corner doesn't require any braking on entry. In Qualifying, drivers don't hit the brakes until the car is cornering at close to 5G.
• That helps to generate some of the highest steering wheel torques of the entire season.
• The vast majority of the first sector at Suzuka is spent cornering. From Turn 1 until the exit of Turn 7, the steering wheel is moving almost continuously for nearly 2km of the lap.
• For 2025, parts of the track between Turn 1 until entry Turn 8 have been resurfaced.
• Just 1.2 km of the lap is spent driving in a straight line. Most of the 5.807 kms sees some lateral g-force going through the car.
• The lack of straights also means that Suzuka is just one of four circuits on the calendar that has a solitary DRS zone, between Turn 18 and Turn One.
• 130R is one of F1's quickest corners, taken at 295 km/h. Turn 11 meanwhile is one of the slowest at 60 km/h.
• The braking zone for Turn 11 is particularly challenging. Drivers must hit the brakes midway through the fast Turn 10. They are cornering at close to 3.5G while turning right before the hairpin left. Lockups are therefore common.
• Suzuka has one of the highest mass sensitivities of the season. That means that carrying more fuel is more penalising in terms of lap time and performance.
• Suzuka has hosted the F1 season finale on six occasions, and up until 2022 appeared in the latter stages of the F1 calendar.
• For the past two seasons, the race has taken place in April, in the middle of the famous Japanese cherry blossom season.
• All six of Mercedes’ wins in Japan came in consecutive seasons between 2014 and 2019.
• Mercedes clinched a record-equalling sixth consecutive Constructors’ title at Suzuka in 2019.

Suzuka, with its fast sweeps and elevation change provide a proper test for both driver and car. This will be Kimi's first experience there and, whilst it will be another new challenge for him, he will be looking forward to it. He has handled everything thrown at him so far, and we're looking forward to seeing his continued development. George meanwhile has enjoyed his strongest start to a season in his F1 career. He has delivered with maturity, consistency, and speed. He is performing exactly how we knew he would as the senior driver of the works Mercedes team. He will be looking to continue in that form in Japan this weekend.

Cars and Coffee at the Mercedes Museum -- Every Sunday Through October 12, 2025

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.

Highlights at Classics & Coffee 2025

• Mercedes-Benz Classic Genuine Parts: Mercedes-Benz Heritage GmbH will be presenting its range of replacement and wear parts in manufacturer quality for many classic model series on several dates – including expert information.
• Mercedes-Benz Classic Center: The centre of excellence for services and restorations for exquisite Mercedes-Benz classics will be on site on several Sundays.
• Classics & Coffee Collection: The new range of accessories for the popular classic car meet celebrates its première in 2025.
• Digital bonus card “Classics & Coffee Members”: Fans of the all-brand classic car meet can receive attractive loyalty rewards with the “Classics & Coffee Members” bonus card. Download it on the website me/classic-coffee-members and save it on a smartphone. Then present the bonus card at Classics & Coffee and receive loyalty rewards on the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th visit.
• Cruising: Rides in exquisite classic cars of the brand. The short, refined tours in Neckarpark are an exclusive experience in the supporting programme.
• Daimler Reitwagen: A motorbike special will take place for the first time on 31 August 2025. On this day, Mercedes-Benz Classic will be putting an authentic replica of the Daimler Reitwagen, the world’s first motorbike, into operation. The innovative technology carrier is celebrating its anniversary – it made its début in 1885, 140 years ago.
• The community’s own special: The Mercedes-Benz community votes on its own special: Mercedes-Benz Community – meeting place for all Mercedes-Benz fans
• Staff on site will provide information about all new offers.

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.

Classics & Coffee: The theme specials 2025

• 13 April 2025 – Season Opening: Younger classics are particularly welcome at the “Young Classics” special exhibition, which opens on 11 April.
• 18 May 2025 – “Baby-Benz” and C-Class: The focus is on the Mercedes-Benz compact class model series (from W 201).
• 15 June 2025 – Super Sports Cars: The online platform “Collecting Cars” will be a guest on the Museum hill with the “Coffee Run”.
• 6 July 2025 – S-Class: The era of the S-Class – the top-of-the-range models from Mercedes-Benz – began with the 116 series in autumn 1972.
• 13 July 2025 – G-Class: The G-Model celebrated its première in 1979 and has fascinated with its extreme off-road capability and luxurious performance ever since. The Mercedes-Benz Museum’s Children’s and Family Day takes place on the same date.
• 27 July 2025 – 300 SL and SL Family: The abbreviation stands for “Sport-Leicht” (sports light) and thus for sporty and, above all, particularly iconic Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
• 3 August 2025 – E-Class: The 124 series became the first E-Class in 1993. This marked the beginning of a new era of upper mid-range vehicles.
• 17 August 2025 – Porsche: On this day, Mercedes-Benz Classic invites vehicles from the other Stuttgart brand, which developed its first sports car in 1948.
• 31 August 2025 – Motorcycles: In August 1885, 140 years ago, a new age of mobility began with the pioneering journey of Gottlieb Daimler’s Reitwagen. As a highlight, Mercedes-Benz Classic will be putting an authentic replica of the first motorbike in history into operation.
• 21 September 2025 – AMG: For drivers and fans of the sports car and performance brand of Mercedes-Benz from Affalterbach.
• 28 September 2025 – Off-roaders, commercial vehicles and camper vans: The particularly fascinating larger vehicles will take centre stage on this particular Sunday.
• 12 October 2025 – End of season.