Daimler : Tales from the paddock – Three victories on historic racetracks

From Silverstone via Zandvoort to the Nordschleife, there were wins everywhere for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport last weekend

• This is what happened: Results and facts
• News from the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport teams
• Social media news: What's new online?

This is what happened: Results and facts

• Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in a Mercedes one-two at Silverstone
• Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe: Vincent Abril and Raffaele Marciello win Race 1 at Zandvoort
• VLN: A one-two finish for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the Nürburgring Nordschleife

News snippets

Silverstone - Stat Attack: It's one home race after another for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport at the moment. The first of these came at Silverstone, with the second due to take place the weekend after next when Hockenheim hosts the German Grand Prix. This latest visit to the historic circuit near the team factories in Brackley and Brixworth was well worthwhile for the Silver Arrows. As early as Saturday, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton secured a front row lockout in qualifying. For the Finn, it was his tenth pole position in the premier class, his fourth this year and his first at Silverstone. At the same time, it was the 100th pole for Mercedes since returning as a works team to Formula 1 in 2010. On Sunday too, there was good cause to celebrate as Lewis registered the 80th Grand Prix win of his Formula 1 career in front of a jubilant home crowd. Valtteri finished as runner-up to ensure a Mercedes one-two. Lewis's grand total of six victories makes him the most successful driver to have contested the British Grand Prix, one more than F1 legends Jim Clark and Alain Prost who are on five each. Silverstone is also a happy hunting ground for the Silver Arrows: this was the seventh victory for Mercedes in the British Grand Prix, which puts this race on level pegging with the Italian Grand Prix as the most successful for the team.

Championship lead in the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe consolidated: Mercedes-AMG Motorsport successfully defended its lead in the overall standings of the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe on yet another highly satisfying race weekend. AKKA ASP drivers Vincent Abril (MON) and Raffaele Marciello (ITA) took first place in race one on Saturday at Circuit Zandvoort to claim a first overall victory of the season. The duo sharing the number 88 Mercedes-AMG GT3 completed a flawless lights-to-flag win in the 60-minute race by a comfortable margin of over eight seconds. And that was not the only good news for the team: Nico Bastian (GER) and Thomas Neubauer (FRA) in the number 89 sister car finished as runners-up in the Silver Cup and continue to lead the drivers' and team championships in this class. Their fine result was also enough to lift AKKA ASP into first place in the sprint series team standings ahead of fellow Mercedes outfit BLACK FALCON. Meanwhile, the BLACK FALCON pairing of Luca Stolz and Maro Engel (both GER), who currently lead the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe drivers' championship, finished fourth in both the first and second races, thereby boosting their points tally.

In the GT4 European Series, which also took place at the Zandvoort Circuit this weekend, Jan Kisiel (POL) and Max Koebolt (NED) of Leipert Motorsports were the highest placed of the Mercedes-AMG contingent, finishing fifth on Saturday and fourth on Sunday. The two of them continue to lead the drivers' standings in this particular series. Meanwhile, their team-mates Marcus Paverud (NOR) and Luca-Sandro Trefz (GER) in a Mercedes-AMG GT4 were producing impressive podium finishes, taking third place in the Pro-Am category on Saturday and winning the class on Sunday, two results that consolidated their lead in the Pro-Am driver classification. Mercedes-AMG celebrated a double podium in Sunday's race, when the winners were joined by Angélique Detavernier (BEL) and Kay van Berlo (NED) of Selleslagh Racing Team. Their team-mates Alessandro Giovanelli (ITA) and Bob Herber (NED) also got a great result with second place in the Am class.

First victory for Mercedes-AMG in the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring: Patrick Assenheimer and Manuel Metzger (both GER) gave Mercedes-AMG Motorsport its first overall victory of 2019 in the fourth round of the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft at the Nürburgring. The two BLACK FALCON Team AutoArena Motorsport drivers crossed the finish line ahead of the whole field after 24 laps of the 'Green Hell'. Metzger leads the SP9 Pro drivers' championship, while Assenheimer in fourth remains in close contact with the Top Three. The runner-up spot went to Marek Böckmann and Philip Ellis (both GER), also driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3. Their P2 was the first podium finish of the VLN season for GetSpeed Performance and also constituted a one-two for the brand. The BLACK FALCON Team TEXTAR trio of Carlos Rivas (LUX), Ace Robey (USA) and Tobias Wahl (GER) secured first place in the SP8T class. A successful race weekend all round was completed by Tobias Müller, Tim Scheerbarth (both GER) and Tristan Viidas (EST) of BLACK FALCON Team IDENTICA, who took first place in the SP10 class, a result that further extended their championship lead.

Podium and class victories in the International GT Open: At the Red Bull Ring near Spielberg in Austria, HTP Motorsport enjoyed a double victory for Alexander Hrachowina and Martin Konrad (both AUT). The pairing won both the first and the second race in the Am category, a class that they currently lead and in which they are the main contenders for the title. In the second race on Sunday over a distance of 60 minutes, Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR) and Valentin Pierburg (GER) of SPS automotive-performance put in an impressive performance to claim first place in the Pro-Am class. Their team-mates Fabrizio Crestani (ITA) and Miguel Ramos (POR) in the sister car secured a podium finish in third place, which was enough to elevate them into fourth position in the overall standings. Also contributing to an outstanding set of results were Davide Roda and Guiseppe Cipriani (both ITA): Roda took the runner-up spot in the Am class in the first race, and Cipriani repeated the feat in the second. The two drivers currently share second place in the Am classification.

Victories, class successes and podiums in Australia, America and Europe: In the Australian Endurance Championship, there was a podium for Mercedes-AMG. Peter Hackett (AUS) and Dominic Storey (NZL) finished third at the end of the three-hour race at The Bend Motorsport Park, a result that moves the duo up to fourth place in the overall standings of the long-distance series, just behind fellow Mercedes drivers Max Twigg and Tony D'Alberto in third. The team of WM Waste Management / Scott Taylor Motorsport consolidated their third place in the championship with a P4 on the weekend.

Meanwhile, Murillo Racing's Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak (both USA) were driving to victory in the opening race of the Pirelli GT4 America SprintX event in Portland. Murillo and Szymczak, who had booked pole position in qualifying, had a problematic first stint in their Mercedes-AMG GT4, dropping down to fourth before staging a second-half recovery and coming through to win. In the second race on Sunday, they once again finished on the podium with third place in their class.

VEIDEC Silver Eagle Racing by GetSpeed had reason to celebrate on the third weekend of the Belcar Endurance Championship hosted by the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. At the end of the three hours, Kenneth Heyer (GER) and Wim Spinoy (BEL) secured a class victory in their Mercedes-AMG GT4.

Social Media News

#HotLap: Lewis Hamilton put in a very special hot lap at Silverstone - from one Formula 1 legend to another and for a very special man: Sir Frank Williams!

Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT5S8sV9ppY

#MoreThanADream: The debut is getting closer, and the Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver-Arrow 01 is gradually taking shape. We take a glimpse behind the scenes at how our new electric racing car was given its provisional livery.

Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2qsDK_ZJNs

#EQC: In the context of the Bern E-Prix, Stoffel Vandoorne went for a very special city tour in a Mercedes-Benz EQC.

Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq1-UaQoRZE

#BeastoftheGreenHell: You just can't get enough of this - a lap of the Nordschleife on board with Mercedes-AMG driver Adam Christodoulou

Watch video: www.facebook.com/MercedesAMGCustomerRacing/videos/707892193024064/