Tales from the paddock: Preparations for the classic in the ‘Green Hell’ continue apace

Motor racing fans can look forward to not one but two standout events next weekend: the French Grand Prix and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring

• 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

• DMV GTC: Three podiums, including a win, for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Nürburgring
• Pan Delta Super Racing Festival: Three podium appearances, including a P1, in the two races at Zhuhai International Circuit

News snippets

France, here we come: This coming weekend, Formula 1 is back at the Circuit Paul Ricard for the second time following the reinstatement of the venue to the race calendar last year. This will be the 60th French Grand Prix, an event which has been hosted by the track outside Le Castellet on 15 previous occasions as well as by six other circuits: Magny Cours, Reims, Dijon, Rouen, Clermont-Ferrand and Le Mans. The team came away from last year's contest in France with a victory and a pole position for Lewis Hamilton and the fastest race lap for Valtteri Bottas. For Mercedes, it was only the second Formula 1 victory in France, the first having come in the 1954 season with the triumph of Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel of the W 196 R. David Coulthard posted the only other victory for a Mercedes-powered car when he won in a McLaren-Mercedes at Magny Cours in 2000.

Standout fixture of the season in the 'Green Hell': Mercedes-AMG have set their sights high for the 47th running of the ADAC TOTAL 24-hour race at the Nürburgring next weekend (20th - 23rd June). The performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach is intent on claiming another victory in the endurance classic after successes in 2013 and 2016. The 160-car grid for the 'Green Hell' includes seven Mercedes-AMG GT3s fielded by Mercedes-AMG Team BLACK FALCON (#2, #3 and #6), Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER (#48) and GetSpeed Performance (#16, #17 and #18). In addition, there will be the two Mercedes-AMG GT4s (#46 and #70) of BLACK FALCON competing for class victory. The build-up to the VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring and the qualifying race has been a fraught period for the teams, with setbacks compensated for by podium finishes and Top Ten results. Changeable weather and various collisions have restricted the mileage they have been able to put in on the Nordschleife, but that's all water under the bridge now. Next weekend, the top drivers, teams and manufacturers in GT3 sport will be vying for a prestigious victory on the 25.37km combination of Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife (North Loop). The drivers in the 24-hour race will make their first official appearance at the traditional Racing Day gathering on Wednesday 19th June in Adenau before free practice gets underway on Thursday. The 24-hour race starts on Saturday at 15:30 CEST.

Podium finishes in the Michelin Le Mans Cup: The 24 Hours of Le Mans shared the billing with two Michelin Le Mans Cup races over the weekend. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR) and Valentin Pierburg (GER) in the number 23 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of SPS automotive-performance made it onto the GT3 class podium both times. The duo were runners-up in the first race and finished the second in P3.

Another victory in the DMV GTC: Meanwhile at the Nürburgring, Race-Art by équipe vitesse were registering yet another victory in the DMV GTC with their Mercedes-AMG GT3. For Kenneth Heyer, victory in the second of the two 30-minute races was already his fifth of the season in this competition. He and co-driver Wolfgang Triller (GER) also ascended the podium on Friday for a P2 in the DUNLOP 60 race. In the first DMVGTC race, Mario Hirsch (GER) brought the équipe vitesse sister car home in second place. Also making podium appearances at the Nürburgring were the Mercedes-AMG GT4 contingent in their class. Schütz Motorsport took third place in both the DUNLOP 60 race and the first DMV GTC race. In the second race, Yuri Wagner (LUX) of Leipert Motorsport finished third.

More wins and podium finishes on the world stage: In the Pan Delta Super Racing Festival at Zhuhai International Circuit, Zun Motorsport Crew celebrated a one-two finish in the second race on Sunday. The number 77 and number 38 Mercedes-AMG GT3s came home in P1 and P2 at the end of the 15-lap race. The number 38 car had already finished second in the first race. A successful weekend was rounded off in style by a one-two for Team TRC in the GT4 class.

Scuderia 111 registered podium successes in their respective classes for no fewer than four of their cars in the Endurance Brazil at Santa Cruz do Sul. Xandy and Xandinho Negrao as well as Guilherme Figueiroa and Júlio Campos (all BRA) finished second and third in their Mercedes-AMG GT3s, as did the duos of Leandro Ferrari and Flavio Abrunhoza and of Alexandre Auler and Leandro Romera (all BRA) in their Mercedes-AMG GT4s.

There was also a race win to celebrate on the second weekend of the GT4 South European Series at Jarama in Spain. The Veloso Motorsport pairing of Miguel Cristóvao and Francisco Abreu (both POR) dominated the second race of the weekend after a P2 on the day before.

An impressive charge through the field by Eken Motorsport put them on the podium of the GT4 Scandinavia: Mats Ek Tidstrand and Viktor Bouveng (both SWE) advanced from tenth on the grid to finish third in the second race hosted by the Skelleftea Drive Center.

Social Media News

#PurePitWall: Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin answers questions from fans about the Canadian GP: why the team opted for an overcut for Lewis and why Valtteri had a fight on his hands in the race.

Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgLzNttPco0

#24hAMG / #24hNBR: 35 drivers, seven Mercedes-AMG GT3s and two Mercedes-AMG GT4s will be competing for a prestigious victory in the 'Green Hell' when the 47th ADAC TOTAL 24-hour race takes place at the Nürburgring on the weekend of 20th - 23rd June.

Watch trailer: www.facebook.com/MercedesAMGCustomerRacing/videos/1304931359664184/

#24hAMG / #24hNBR: Further information about the ADAC TOTAL 24h Race Nürburgring (20th - 23rd June) can be found on the social media channels of Mercedes-AMG, including full live coverage of the 24-hour classic on Twitter and frequent Instagram updates.

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