Jenson Button and Sergio 'Checo' Perez - a perfect blend

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Jenson and Checo continue the trend of evolution through history.

Jenson begins his fourth season at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes as the team’s most experienced driver. Indeed, during his time here, he has won more races (eight) and scored more points (672) than during the rest of his 10-year Formula 1 career.

For 2013, he is keenly anticipating the opportunity to maximise all his skill and depth of experience to spearhead the development of the car across the championship season.

By contrast, Checo is starting only his third season in Formula 1, aged 23. Young, eager to learn, and already impressing the team with his ability to absorb information, he is perfectly poised to benefit from the team’s professionalism and experience as he develops and gathers pace during his important first season as a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver.

Our driver pairing is the perfect blend of youth and experience.

We will once again be targeting both the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships. The ongoing strength in depth of the organisation, plus the exciting addition of Sergio to the proven package of Jenson gives the whole team strong encouragement and motivation for the year ahead.

~ Official photos and details courtesy of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ~

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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes premieres new MP4-28 car for the 2013 F1 Season

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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes-Benz launched the new MP4-28 2013 title contender during a special presentation ceremony held at Woking, United Kingdom. The new driver lineup for the upcoming F1 season, consisting of former champion Jenson Button and newcomer Sergio 'Checo' Perez, has also been introduced in front of the media and guests invited at team's headquarters. Follow after the jump for the official press release and further technical data on the new McLaren-Mercedes MP4-28 single-seater. Enjoy!

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes launched its 2013 Formula 1 challenger and kicked off a year of 50th anniversary celebrations with a spectacular parade of classic racing cars at the McLaren Technology Centre this morning.

The parade brought to life a string of race- and championship-winning McLarens from across the decades, included 1970’s M8D CanAm sportscar, Emerson Fittipaldi’s iconic 1974 M23, Ayrton Senna’s dominant 1988 MP4/4, our 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR, Mika Hakkinen’s MP4-13 car from 1998 and Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 MP4-23.

The display culminated in the arrival of our 2013 race drivers, Jenson Button and Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez – who arrived driving a development model of our new McLaren P1TM sportscar and a 12C Spider, respectively.

Evolution through history

The display of classic McLarens was a timely reminder of the weight of history that constantly hangs over a team with such high expectations each and every season. Following such a winning pedigree is the aim and intention of each and every man and woman who comes to work at McLaren every day.

And, for everyone involved in its inception, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-28 is the logical culmination of everything we’ve ever done: it’s the sum of 50 years’ experience, expertise and passion.

The MP4-28 isn’t merely a refinement of last year’s seven-race-winning car, it’s a deep and sweeping re-design of an already successful chassis in several key areas – most notably around the nose and front suspension, the sidepod profiles and the rear bodywork.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-28 Technical Specification
Chassis

Monocoque - McLaren-moulded carbonfibre composite incorporating front and side impact structures, and survival cell
Front suspension - Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pullrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement
Rear suspension - Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pullrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement
Electronics - McLaren Electronic Systems. Including chassis control, engine control, data acquisition, dashboard, alternator, sensors, data analysis and telemetry.
Bodywork - Carbon-fibre composite. Including engine cover, sidepods, floor, nose, front wing and rear wing. Driver-operated drag reduction system
Lubricants & Fluids - Mobilith SHC™ 1500 Grease – lubricates the four tripod joints on the drive-shafts resisting the high temperatures generated by the exhaust and braking systems / Mobilith SHC™ 220 Grease – minimises rolling resistance in the car’s ceramic wheel bearings to help maximise speed. / Mobil SHC™ Hydraulic Oil – running at over 200 bar and 100° C this fluid is an essential part of the hydraulic system which controls gear shift, the throttles and operation of DRS and steering systems
Tyres - Pirelli P Zero
Radio - Kenwood
Race wheels - Enkei
Brake calipers - Akebono
Master cylinders - Akebono
Batteries - GS Yuasa Corporation
Steering - McLaren power-assisted
Instruments - McLaren Electronic Systems
Paint solutions - AkzoNobel Car Refinishes using Sikkens products

Engine

Type - Mercedes-Benz FO 108F
Capacity - 2.4 litres
Cylinders - 8
Maximum rpm - 18,000
Bank angle - 90°
Piston bore maximum - 98mm
Number of valves - 32
Fuel - ExxonMobil High Performance Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel)
Spark plugs - NGK Formula 1 specification racing spark plugs
Lubricants - Mobil 1™ Engine Oil – for long engine life, protection and cooling combined with improved fuel economy
Weight - 95kg (minimum FIA regulation weight)

KERS Hybrid

Type - Mercedes-Benz
e-Motor - Engine-mounted electrical motor/generator
ESS - Integrated energy storage cells and power electronics
Power - 60 kW

Transmission

Gearbox - McLaren-moulded carbon-fibre composite / Integral rear impact structure
Gears - Seven forward and one reverse
Gear selection - McLaren seamless shift, hand-operated
Clutch - Carbon/carbon, hand-operated
Lubricants - Mobil 1 SHC™ Gear Oil – provides reduced fluid traction losses improving gearbox efficiency and delivering more power to the rear wheels

~ Official photos and details courtesy of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ~

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SPY: The 2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W 222) - Latest interior shots

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These are the best spy photos to date of the 2013 S-Class interior. Have a look over the jump!

The interior cabin design should not come as a surprise to anyone: it is exactly how a Mercedes-Benz flagship should look like. While evolutionary, the designers have managed to harmonise the fresh lines with the conservative approach sticking to the brand’s core values.

Nevertheless, even if the limited shots are far from building up the whole image, they do reveal a strong character that will hopefully contribute to adding a new chapter in the S-Class's successful history.

Image Credits: autospies.com

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New Mercedes-Benz Arocs construction site truck to give business a further boost in 2013

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“The three new Mercedes-Benz vehicles clearly deserve a triple A rating,” said Andreas Renschler, the Daimler Board of Management Member responsible for Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses, at the Arocs world premiere, which took place today in Munich. “The first three representatives of our heavy-duty truck platform are giving our global module strategy a big boost. At the same time, the all-new Arocs is enabling us to bring our Euro VI offensive for heavy-duty trucks to a close a full nine months before the new emissions limit goes into effect.” As a result, Mercedes-Benz customers are well prepared not only with regard to timing but also with respect to the total cost of ownership. Although the trucks are fitted with complex Euro VI technology, the Actros, Antos, and also the new Arocs are more efficient than their predecessor models. In fact, fuel consumption has been reduced by up to five percent.

The investment in the development of new vehicles is paying off. In 2012 Daimler Trucks produced almost as many vehicles in 11 months as it did in the whole of 2011, when the division’s six truck brands (Mercedes-Benz, Fuso, Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, and BharatBenz) manufactured approximately 426,000 vehicles. “Daimler Trucks substantially increased sales in 2012, despite volatile markets,” said Renschler. “We want to grow this year as well, especially in the second half of the year. We are benefiting from our global business model. Although the debt crisis hampered markets in Europe, Mercedes-Benz was able to buck the general trend, thanks, in part, to the model offensive spearheaded by the new Actros. In Germany, three out of four new Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks are already being ordered with Euro VI technology.”

Arocs to be launched on the market in mid-2013

Beginning in May 2013, the new Mercedes-Benz Arocs will be gradually introduced in Europe. In addition to being extremely environmental friendly as a result of Euro VI technology, the special construction vehicles boast three special attributes: power, efficiency, and robustness.

Never before in the history of Mercedes-Benz Trucks has the range of heavy-duty construction vehicles been as broad as it is today. The truck brand was established more than 110 years ago, when automobiles began to supplant horse-drawn vehicles. “Our roots are here in the construction industry,” said Stefan Buchner, Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks since December 2012, at the presentation of the all-new Arocs. “Mercedes-Benz has shaped the construction sector more than any other truck manufacturer. We have an above-average market share in nearly all areas of the construction sector. Almost half of the construction site trucks in Germany sport the Mercedes star on their hoods. More than two out of five Mercedes-Benz trucks sold worldwide are construction site vehicles.”

The all-new Arocs is Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ third heavy-duty special vehicle. The first was the Actros for long-haulage operations, followed by the Antos for heavy-duty distribution transportation, and now the Arocs for the heavy-duty construction segment. Stefan Buchner is convinced that this product strategy exactly matches the interests of today’s customers. “All-purpose vehicles are increasingly becoming a thing of the past,” he said. “That’s why we used a common platform to develop custom-tailored vehicle series for individual segments.”

This product strategy is already beginning to pay off for the Actros. “To date, we have sold more than 16.000 units of the new Actros truck in Europe,” Buchner said. “One-third of these trucks feature Euro VI technology. It was mainly due to the Actros that no other manufacturer sold more tractors in Europe last year than we did.”

The construction industry has a lot of catching-up to do

Andreas Renschler, Head of Daimler Trucks, predicts that the all-new Arocs will have a bright future. “The commercial vehicle business will continue to grow globally,” he said. “This is due, in part, to the construction industry, which estimates that alone in Germany there is a demand for 250,000 new apartments per year. New construction was about 40,000 units below this figure in 2012 and will probably be about 20,000 units lower this year. In other words, the construction industry has a lot of catching-up to do.”

Credits: Daimler AG

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