Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in Brackley, England, have already been linked together since 2012. They are now strengthening their ties even further. In concrete terms, this means: expanded pooling of the motorsport activities at the Mercedes-AMG high-performance brand, an even more in-depth, mutual transfer in the development of future-oriented, electrified technologies for motor racing and for the road, and all that as part of a partnership characterised by shared values and, of course, the passion for motorsport. The new design of the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E PERFORMANCE for the new season underscores the close alliance and the brand identity also visually.
Highly efficient and highly motivated teams in Affalterbach as well as in Brackley and in Brixworth aim for the extraordinary, for cutting-edge technology, and for results. Be it in Baden-Württemberg or in Northamptonshire, the AMG spirit of top performance is alive in both locations. “For nine years now, we have been linked by a close partnership, which has given rise to a wide range of developments and countless successes. We are united by the same motorsport DNA and a strong spirit in the entire team. To put it succinctly, we live performance! Now is exactly the right time to take our cooperation to the next level: with the Project ONE hypercar, for the first time we are putting Formula 1 technology nearly one-to-one on the road. We will deliver the first cars of this highly exclusive series to our customers this year. With this unique project, we are heralding the performance-oriented electrification at AMG. Under our E PERFORMANCE technology label, we are advancing our interpretation of a powerful and efficient hybrid technology for the future road-going models. And as far as our performance on the race track is concerned, of course we hope that our fastest and most powerful E Performance vehicles will be able to fight for the world championship titles again this year”, says Philipp Schiemer, Chairman of the Board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
In Affalterbach, Mercedes-AMG has direct access to the winning technology of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in all relevant areas. The stepped up cooperation will speed up the transfer of knowledge and technologies between Brackley, Brixworth and Affalterbach further and will thereby cement the position of Mercedes-AMG as the performance and sports car brand of the future. In doing so, Mercedes-AMG is also opening up to new target groups with lifestyle affinity, which are enthusiastic about the highly competitive world of Formula 1 and always want to own the latest, sustainable and motorsport-tested technology.
“The technical challenges in Formula One are tremendous and are thus a fascinating challenge for an engineer. In the elite class of motorsport the current hybrid power units are not only extremely powerful, they also have tremendous thermal efficiency – characteristics that we also pursue in our series models. Through the close exchange we can use a multitude of experience and technologies from Formula 1 in our performance hybrids for the road”, says Jochen Hermann, Member of Management of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
Mercedes-AMG joined forces with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) in 2012. Since then, the partners have already worked closely together on many projects, especially in the area of technology transfer. The latest example is the electric turbocharger, which is standing the test in Formula 1 under extreme conditions and will soon be used in AMG production models. There is also close cooperation with regard to sharing experiences with simulation technology during development phases and in terms of the operating strategies in the battery and hybrid field.
Further technology cascade and developments from Formula 1 will follow. They include the cell technology of the high-performance batteries as well as their particular cooling requirements. These are two more examples of technological parallels between the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 and the road-going performance hybrids, which are in the starting blocks and will provide a tangible experience of the closer cooperation in everyday life as well. There is a reason why some employees of Mercedes-AMG from Affalterbach are seconded to
Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP), the successful powerhouse of Formula 1 engine building in Brixworth, England. The closer ties between the respective performance divisions is also evident in the supervisory management. For example, Philipp Schiemer is a Non-Executive Director of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, while Jochen Hermann occupies the same role at Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains.
“We are looking forward to working together more closely in a wide range of areas. Regardless of whether it is in our Formula 1 team or at Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach – this fantastic team spirit can be felt everywhere. Every single employee is really giving it everything and the motto “We live performance” captures it perfectly. I am excited to see what else we can achieve together”, says Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
The closer cooperation also includes other motorsport activities at Mercedes-AMG. This pertains to the marketing activities as well as to the strengthening and expansion of the eSports commitment. Ultimately, this unified approach strengthens another important pillar of the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach: the continuously growing customer sport programme in the GT3 and GT4 sector, which has been very successful over the last eleven years. With all these activities, AMG continues to proudly acknowledge its roots in motorsport.
