Tales from the paddock: Summer holiday? No way!

While Formula 1 takes its obligatory break between the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport had further cause for celebration last weekend in various GT racing series.

• 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

• ADAC GT Masters: Philip Ellis and Fabian Vettel finish in the Top Three at Zandvoort
• ADAC GT4 Germany: Hamza Owega and Jusuf Owega in a Mercedes-AMG GT4 make it onto the podium twice at Zandvoort, with two runner-up spots
• China GT Championship: A victory and three other podiums for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the two races at Qinhuangdao, plus two wins and two additional podium finishes for the Mercedes-AMG GT4

News snippets

Summer break: Formula One is taking a few weeks off. Immediately after Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, the teams and drivers of the premier class began a well-deserved summer break. The roar of the engines will not be heard again until late August when the legendary roller coaster through the Ardennes at Spa-Francorchamps hosts the Belgian Grand Prix. In the meantime, the team aims to entertain in a different way. They have produced a series of short videos to keep fans amused in the quiet period between Budapest and Spa. Click here for our summer break playlist: http://mb4.me/85vv09vA

Successful debuts and three podium finishes in the 'Dunes Classic' at Zandvoort: Impressive performances from Fabian Vettel and Philip Ellis (both GER) extended Mercedes-AMG Motorsport's successful run in the ADAC GT Masters. The MANN-FILTER Team HTP Motorsport duo finished third in Sunday's thriller of a race after a respectable P7 the day before. This was the second podium finish of the season for the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach, the previous one having been secured by their team-mates Maximilian Götz (GER) and Indy Dontje (NED) for a P2 at Spielberg in Austria. For Vettel and Ellis, who are both contesting the Junior championship, this was a significant result, as it was their first ever Top Three placement in the ADAC GT Masters general classification. It was also significant in terms of the championship standings, as series newcomer Vettel moved up to third place in the 2019 ADAC GT Masters Junior standings after four events and eight races, within reach of the top two positions. Maro Engel and Luca Stolz (both GER) in the number 2 car were meanwhile making a successful debut for Team Toksport WRT, with fifth place in the second race.

The Zandvoort weekend also brought success for Hamza and Jusuf Owega (both GER), who finished second in both ADAC GT4 Germany races. The two podium finishes for the brothers, who share the cockpit of the number 99 Mercedes-AMG GT4 fielded by GetSpeed Performance, elevated them to third place in the drivers' standings after six races.

A one-two win and multiple podium finishes in the China GT Championship: Mercedes-AMG dominated the race weekend at the Shougang GT Circuit, pulling off impressive victories in both the GT3 and GT4 classes. On Saturday, Adam Christodoulou (GBR) and Eric Zang (CHN) in the number 63 Toro Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 prevailed over the opposition to lay the foundations for a one-two win in the first race, the runner-up spot going to Jeffrey Lee (TWN) and Alessio Picariello (BEL) in the number 88 car of EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing. In Sunday's race, the EWS Craft-Bamboo Racing pairing crossed the line in second position, this time ahead of the number 63 Toro Racing car, to clinch yet another double podium for the brand. Meanwhile, Peter Yang Liao (TWN) in the number 2 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of D2 RACING SPORT took victory in his class on both Saturday and Sunday. The three teams scored valuable points towards both the drivers' and team championships.

In parallel with the GT3 contest, the Shougang GT Circuit in Qinhuangdao was hosting the GT4 races of the China GT Championship, in which Mercedes-AMG also excelled. Will Bamber (NZL) and Kuo Kuo Hsin (CHN) in the number 22 car of D2 RACING SPORT won the first race on Saturday and then finished second on Sunday. It was also a successful weekend for the number 6 Mercedes-AMG GT4 entered by Team Phantom Pro Racing. Rainey He Xiaole and Lu Wei (both CHN) followed up a creditable third place on Saturday with a win on Sunday, making it two wins out of two for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport over the weekend.

Class victory and podium finish in the Belcar Endurance Championship: After 24 hours of racing at the Zolder Circuit, the number 93 Mercedes-AMG GT4 of VEIDEC Silver Eagle Racing by GetSpeed crossed the finish line first in Class 4. The driver quartet of Bart Van Samang, Sven Van Laere, Michael Cool and Johan Vannerum (all BEL) worked their way steadily through the field from 20th on the grid to finish ninth overall, a result that was good enough to secure them the class win. Second place in Class 4 went to Christiaan Frankenhout (NED), Kenneth Heyer, Hendrik Still (both GER) and Wim Spinoy (BEL) in the number 22 VEIDEC Silver Eagle Racing by GetSpeed car, thereby wrapping up a one-two in the classification.

Social Media News

#PurePitWall: James Vowles discusses the big issues arising from the Hungarian Grand Prix, including the moment at which the outcome of the race was decided.

Watch video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=onWe3EeKBtc

#GTMasters / #AMG: An action-packed ADAC GT Masters weekend at Zandvoort: Take another look at Sunday's race through the dunes of the Dutch North Sea coast.

Watch video: www.facebook.com/MercedesAMGCustomerRacing/posts/2588486911215473