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Stuttgart, Germany, Aug 01, 2010110 years ago – 20 September 1900: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft introduced the honeycomb radiator (German patent no. DRP 122 766). This was an important prerequisite for boosting output in vehicle engine design. Its basic principle remains unchanged to this day.
80 years ago – 21 September 1930: Following his victory at the Schwabenberg Race in a Mercedes-Benz SSK, Rudolf Caracciola was crowned European Hillclimb Champion.
75 years ago – September 1935: Rudolf Caracciola drove a Mercedes-Benz to victory in the European and German Championships in the 1935 season.
55 years ago – 22 September - 2 October 1955: The L 319 van model made its debut at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main. It was the first Mercedes-Benz van of the post-war era.
45 years ago – 9 September 1965: A delegation from Daimler-Benz AG presented Pope Paul VI with a special version of the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet.(more about the Mercedes-Benz Popemobiles)
45 years ago – 16 - 26 September 1965: At the IAA in Frankfurt am Main Daimler-Benz presented its new luxury segment series in the shape of the 250 S, 250 SE, 300 SE (W 108 series) and 300 SEL (W 109). The Frankfurt Motor Show also included the LP 810, LP 1013 and LP 1213 truck models, representing an entirely new forward control series in the mid-range class. Other innovations were the LPS 2020 semitrailer tractor with two steered axles and the first Mercedes-Benz forward control tippers, the LPK 608, LPK 1213 and LPK 1620.
25 years ago – 12 - 22 September 1985: An improved and expanded passenger car range was presented at the IAA in Frankfurt am Main. In addition to the facelifted models in the S-Class and SL series, which were offered with a new engine range, the IAA also saw the debuts of the estate models from the 124 series and the compact class 190 E 2.3 and 190 E 2.6 models. Also introduced were the dynamic handling control systems ASD (automatic locking differential) and ASR (acceleration skid control), as well as the automatic 4MATIC four-wheel drive system. In addition, the IAA witnessed the world premieres of the 1635 and 1644 heavy-duty trucks, which were equipped as standard with the new electropneumatic gearshift system EPS, the O 407 standard regular service intercity bus and O 301 small coach.(more about the Mercedes-Benz Bus History)
5 years ago – September 2005: Mercedes-Benz presented the S-Class from the W 221 series at the IAA in Frankfurt am Main. It was the first S-Class to feature a fuel-efficient hybrid drive system. The S 400 BlueHYBRID went on sale to the public in 2009.(more about the S-Class History)
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Budapest, Hungary, Aug 01, 2010
Still on target for the titles, despite a disappointing weekendJENSON BUTTON
- MP4-25A-03
- Started: 11th
- Finished: 8th
- Fastest lap: 1m24.205s (+1.843s) 8th
- Pitstops: One: on lap 14 (Opt-Pri)
- 2010 points: 147 (4th)“The weekend started really well: we showed good pace in free practice and I was looking forward to qualifying. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, and I started 11th on the grid.
“I got a good start off the line, but I went four abreast into Turn One, and got stuck on the outside, losing about four or five places.
“So, from that position, finishing eighth wasn’t too bad. I lost a lot of points, and for the team to take home only four points today is disappointing, but there isn’t a very big points gap covering the top four drivers – I’m only 14 points behind the championship leader, after all – so it’s still all to play for.
“It’s been a tough weekend, but we’ll come back fighting. We’re a very positive and strong team, and we’ve been in difficult situations before, so we can definitely jump back from this – hopefully as soon as Spa-Francorchamps at the end of this month.”
LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-25A-04
- Started: 5th
- Finished: Ret – gearbox
- Fastest lap: 1m26.258s (+3.896s) 14th
- Pitstops: One: on lap 15 (Opt-Pri)
- 2010 points: 157 (2nd)
“I was accelerating out of Turn One when I felt a sudden vibration and then a loss of drive. I initially thought it was a driveshaft failure, but it now appears that it was a gearbox problem.
“Actually, I may have had an issue with the gearbox from the very beginning of the race, when I initially feared I had a brake-related vibration. Whatever, it’s a bit of a shame because, as always, the guys had worked very, very hard all weekend, and I think we’d done more than enough in the race to get up to the front and score some decent points.
“It’s a pity to have a fault at this stage in the year, but that’s racing – when you push the car to the limit, these things can happen.
“We’ll learn from this, though, and we’ll just have to work even harder to make sure we don’t have any further problems this year, and that we can catch back up to the front-runners – which I’m certain we’ll be able to do.”
MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Obviously, we’re disappointed with our haul of world championship points here in Hungary, but we remain in hot contention for the drivers’ world championship and the constructors’ world championship, and it’s all still to play for in the last seven grands prix of the season.
“Lewis made a decent start this afternoon, but then got squeezed into Turn One and dropped a place. He then did really well to pass Vitaly [Petrov] on lap two, and the boys then pulled off a really slick pit stop to get him ahead of Felipe [Massa], too. As the race unfolded, it became clear that, had he not suffered a gearbox failure, Lewis would probably have finished third. So that’s very frustrating.
“Jenson made a good start but then got boxed in at Turn One and also lost time avoiding Michael [Schumacher] as he [Schumacher] ran wide and then rejoined the track. But, from 15th at the end of lap one, Jenson then drove patiently and determinedly all afternoon, slogging his way to four world championship points as a result.
“After the summer shutdown, we’ll come back fully refreshed and utterly determined to apply ourselves as hard as is humanly possible to take world championship honours this season. We’ve got lots of good people, we’ve got lots of good ideas, and we’re prepared to do lots of work. We always knew that this year’s world championship was going to be a tough battle, but we’re up for that tough battle – so bring it on!”
* Official photos and info courtesy of VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES *
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Budapest, Hungary, Aug 01, 2010
Michael Schumacher finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in 11th place today whilst Nico Rosberg retired following a pit stop incident.
Nico lost a position at the start and was running in seventh place when he came into the pits on lap 16 following the deployment of the safety car. A problem with the nut on the right rear wheel saw the wheel come loose as Nico went down the pitlane and led to his retirement. With Michael following quickly into the pits, the incident had an impact on his stop, costing valuable track time and despite a battle for tenth place, he ultimately finished outside of the points.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
“Today’s race was probably was one of the toughest that I have had so far. It was pretty edgy to drive the car on the limit so I had to fight my way through the race, and at the end, it was like walking on ice. Regarding the overtaking manoeuvre with Rubens, I indicated pretty early that I would move towards the inside and not simply give up the line, and there was just enough space for him to pass me without touching each other. It was a hard fight, and this is what we are here for, but I accept that the FIA stewards saw it as too hard. I look forward to the break now and to coming back out of it stronger in Spa.”
NICO ROSBERG
“It was a disappointing end to a difficult weekend today. I didn’t have a good start because I was on the dirty side and I was struggling to find the pace to keep up with Petrov, so it would have been tough to make up much ground. We needed to have a good pit stop to stay ahead of Kubica but unfortunately we had the problem with the right rear wheel. It’s disappointing to have my first retirement of the season but these things happen and we will learn from the experience. After I heard that my tyre hit big Nige, one of my old Williams truckies, I was more concerned about my tyre than him! But seriously, it’s great that he doesn’t have any serious injures and I’m sorry for the incident. We’ll come back in Spa ready to do better.”
ROSS BRAWN
“Today was very disappointing for the team but sometimes these experiences happen and it is important that we learn from them. Nico and Michael struggled with their starts from the dirty side of the grid and it certainly cost Nico a place. The early safety car brought everyone in for their pit stops with our drivers due in quick succession. We had a problem with the right rear wheel during Nico’s stop and his car was sent without the wheel nut being properly fitted. We will have a thorough investigation into the incident and report our conclusions to the FIA. We are thankful that no serious harm was caused by the stray wheel and send our best wishes to the Williams mechanic who was unfortunately injured. Michael’s stop followed just under five seconds later and he was held whilst we sorted out the problem to ensure there was not a reoccurrence. This cost him a lot of track time at a crucial point and he came out down the field. Michael and Rubens had a tough battle in the closing laps which the stewards ultimately felt was too tough. We don’t necessarily agree with their decision but we do accept the penalty. It’s been a tough weekend but we will go away, lick our wounds and come back stronger at the next few races.”
NORBERT HAUG
“A very disappointing result for our team. Nico and Michael were not able to score points due to problems during their pit stops. Thankfully the mechanic who was hit by the tyre was quickly released from his check-up in the medical centre and our apologies to him and the Williams team. Our pace was not great but we should have scored points which ultimately, due to the above mentioned problems, we did not. We now have a well deserved summer break for our hard-working team and we will try to do better in Spa.”
* Official photos and info courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *
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