Tales from the paddock: Highlight of F1 season in the Principality and maiden victory in Spielberg

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While the #F1 drivers were competing in #monaco, the Mercedes-AMG GT2 was registering a first overall victory in Austria.

• Thrilling race in #monaco ends with both drivers in the points
• Part 2 of double-header: Barcelona, here we come!
• Maiden overall win for the Mercedes-AMG GT2
• News snippets: Results and Facts & Social Media News

Thrilling race in #monaco ends with both drivers in the points

Last weekend, the Circuit de #monaco in the Mediterranean principality once again played host to Formula One. The #monaco Grand Prix is traditionally regarded as the most glamorous fixture on the #F1 calendar. In this sixth round of the 2023 championship, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS #F1 Team had the satisfaction of seeing both drivers finish in the points – Lewis Hamilton in fourth and George Russell in fifth. Lewis also collected the additional point for the fastest race lap. As a result, the team was able to close the gap to Aston Martin, who are currently occupying the runners-up spot in the Constructors’ World Championship, to a single point.

Part 2 of double-header: Barcelona here we come!

The #F1 season continues this coming weekend. The second of two Grands Prix within a week takes the teams to Barcelona, where the seventh round of the 2023 World Championship will be contested at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It will be the 53rd running of Spanish Grand Prix and the 33rd time that it has been staged at this venue on the outskirts of Barcelona.

The #F1 teams will be competing on a modified circuit. Unlike in recent years, the chicane at the end of the lap will be replaced by the original last two corners. This now makes the track length 4.657 km.

The joint record World Championship winners, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, also share the honours for number of wins in the Spanish Grand Prix, namely six each. Ferrari are the most successful team with a tally of twelve victories, ahead of McLaren (8) and Williams and Mercedes-AMG (7 each). Of the seven Mercedes-AMG wins to date, Lewis has contributed six (2014, 2017-2021) and Nico Rosberg one (2015). The most successful engine manufacturers in the Spanish Grand Prix are Ferrari and Mercedes-AMG on twelve each.

In the qualifying stakes, Michael Schumacher leads the way on seven pole positions, ahead of Lewis on six. Ferrari are also top in this category on 14, followed by the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS #F1 Team on nine.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS #F1 Team wins first Positive Impact Award

On Friday evening, as the #monaco Grand Prix weekend was getting underway, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS #F1 Team was presented with the Grace Influential Positive Impact Award, which has been instituted by the Princess Grace Foundation to recognise the commitment and positive impact of #F1 teams on society and/or the environment. This inaugural award was conferred on us in acknowledgement of our Accelerate 25 programme. Prince Albert II of #monaco, Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media, Brisa Carleton, CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation, and Stefano Domenicali, CEO of #F1 were present at the ceremony, and the trophy was accepted by Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff.

Launched in 2020, our Accelerate 25 initiative aims to ensure that, by 2025, a quarter of new team members are recruited from underrepresented groups. In the first two years of the programme, the proportion of women has increased by 25% and the number of employees from ethnic backgrounds has tripled. Our work with numerous STEM partnerships and initiatives also serves to inspire students from underrepresented groups to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

First overall victory for the Mercedes-AMG GT2

The Mercedes-AMG GT2 had already delivered a class victory in the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race at the Nürburgring and a class pole in the season opener of the Fanatec GT2 European Series at Monza. On the second race weekend of the GT2 European Series in Spielberg, Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing has now secured the first ever overall victory for the most powerful homologated race car in the history of the customer sports programme. Benjamin and Mauro Ricci (both FRA) were sharing the cockpit of the number 61 car in the first of two races at the Austrian Grand Prix circuit.

Having started from seventh on the grid, the AKKODIS ASP duo fought their way to the front of the pack. Following a late safety car deployment, the #racing recommenced for the final lap and the French pairing hung on grimly for the win. In the second race, they saw the chequered flag in fourth place. A second Mercedes-AMG GT2 entered by Haupt #racing and driven by Jörg Viebahn (GER) and Mario Plachutta (AUT) finished ninth on Saturday and tenth on Sunday.

News snippets: Results and Facts & Social Media News

DTM: In the DTM season opener at Oschersleben, Mercedes-AMG Junior Driver Jusuf Owega (GER) and Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver Lucas Auer (AUT) finished Sunday’s race in the Top Ten. After a P14 in Saturday’s race, Owega was eighth on Sunday, while Auer was tenth. Best of the Mercedes-AMG contingent in Race 1 was Owega’s team-mate Maro Engel (GER) in 13th.

ADAC GT4 Germany: The CV Performance Group pairing of Jan Philipp Springob and Simon Primm (both GER) won the first race of the year at Oschersleben. The duo sharing the #85 Mercedes-AMG GT4 finished the second race in a mid-table seventh but still left Oschersleben leading the overall standings. Denis Bulatov and Marcel Lenerz (both GER) also achieved two Top Ten finishes. They finished fourth and ninth in the number 4 BCMC Motorsport powered by EastSide Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4.

British GT Championship: In the fourth round of the 2023 season, Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing claimed its third victory of the season. Jonny Adam and James Cottingham (both GBR) sharing the number 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of 2 Seas Motorsport were the winners after more than two hours of #racing at Donington Park. It was their second win of the season following their triumph in the opening fixture at Oulton Park. Adam and Cottingham now lead the overall standings ahead of their team-mates Jules Gounon (AND) and Ian Loggie (GBR) in the #1 Mercedes-AMG GT3, who finished third at Donington Park.

British Endurance Championship: The third race of the season at Oulton Park ended with a class win for Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing. Matt George (AUS), Neville Jones (GBR) and Chris Jones (GBR) in the #21 Venture Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 were winners in Class D. Tom Jackson and Ameerh Naran (both GBR) in the #108 Breakell #racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 made it a one-two in this classification.

International GT Open: In the third round of the season at Spa-Francorchamps, Team Motopark’s Diego Menchaca (MEX) and Marcos Siebert (ARG) made it onto the podium for the third time. After two hours and 20 minutes of #racing, they finished third in the number 17 Mercedes-AMG GT3. At the end of the second race weekend of the campaign, the Latin American driver duo occupy second place in the overall standings.

Super Taikyu Series: The standout event of the Japanese Super Taikyu Series – the 24-hour race at Fuji Speedway – took place last weekend. At the end of 730 laps (equivalent to just over 3,300 kilometres), Mercedes-AMG Customer #racing claimed overall victory in this prestigious endurance race, courtesy of Naoya Gamou, Tatsuya Kataoka, Hibiki Taira and Ryuta Ukai (all JPN) in the #14 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Team ROOKIE #racing.