2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Estate F1 Safety and Med Cars

Mercedes-Benz is continuing the tradition of providing safety and medical cars for Formula 1 races.

Mercedes-Benz has released some shots of their updated SLS AMG Safety Car and C63 AMG wagon Medical Car for the 2012 Formula 1 season. Both cars are based on their production variants and will provide the much-needed services over the duration of each race.The SLS AMG coupe boasts its trademark gullwing doors and will serve as the official safety car of Formula 1 races, pacing the laps and doing the usual drive-outs during bad weather.
It will be driven by former DTM driver turned instructor Bernd Maylander. No changes have been made to the SLS AMG other than to the exhaust for a more boisterous soundtrack.The C63 AMG wagon will utilize its 487hp 6.3-liter V8 to provide emergency medical car to any driver involved in an accident during the course of the 2012 season. The Medical Car will also follow the pack during the first lap of each race, as the cars will be packed close together thus increasing the likelihood of an accident.Both the SLS AMG coupe and C63 AMG will carry F1 and FIA decals and logos.

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Estate F1 Safety and Med Cars

Vettel Stars in a New Infiniti Global Campaign

The F1 world champion demonstrates his skills behind the wheel of a passenger car.

Sebastian Vettel hasn't only just started his campaign to defend his F1 world title; he is also heavily featured in a new Infiniti global campaign that's being launched in parallel to the F1 season.

The campaign will encompass all types of media: digital media, viral content films, a series of collector's posters and Infiniti's first ever globally broadcast television commercial.That commercial was filmed on location in Spain prior to the final pre-season F1 test session in Catalunya in early March. It's scheduled to coincide with the weekend of the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix (26-27th May).In the TV ad Vettel is pictured driving the V6 3.7-liter engine Infiniti M37 at speeds of 162 mph at 8,500 rpm while all the driving aid features are neutralized.

Infiniti cars are also being driven on the racetracks of Catalunya, Suzuka and the Nurburgring while Red Bull F1 cars are driven on public roads and on dirt roads with David Coulthard in the cockpit. Vettel, or a stunt driver, performs a 4-wheel drive power slide with the front wheels in full opposite lock.2012 marks the second year of partnership between Infiniti and Red Bull Racing, which will see more prominent Infiniti branding on the F1 cars, drivers and team equipment.

Vettel Stars in a New Infiniti Global Campaign

The Experimental DeltaWing Gets Pit 56 at Le Mans

The unique racing car has yet to confirm its participation in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

DeltaWing, the American racing car managed by the Project 56 group, was allocated pit box no. 56 for the forthcoming 24 hours of Le Mans race. The team has yet to confirm its participation in the race.Pit box no. 56 is traditionally reserved for technically advanced and unique racing cars, and there is no doubt that the DeltaWing meets these criteria.

The DeltaWing is a project that aims to improve car performance by reducing consumption of oil, fuel, tires and other expandable materials and components.

This 4m long and 2m wide machine is characterized by a long nose and a very narrow front. A 1.6-liter turbocharged engine developing 300hp at 8,000 rpm will propel the car through a 5-speed gearbox. Downforce is generated solely by the bottom of a car. The car's weight is just 1,047lbs and it has no wings.72.5% of the car's weight is carried by the rear wheels, an unusual phenomenon for a racing car. The fuel tank holds just 40 liters of fuel (though the car's frugality should compensate for that).The DeltaWing will race outside the Le Mans classification but must meet all the of safety regulations.The car's performance is required by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to be accepted to run in qualifying.The car was supposed to be completed by the end of January. It was developed by CFD simulation instead of in a wind tunnel simulation (a method that hadn't succeeded in the Virgin F1 project). The team has to build every component from scratch and every component should be very light in order reduce wear and tear.Dan Gurney's AAR team is involved in the project and builds the car that will be run by Highcroft Racing, an American Le Mans series winning team.

Ferrari’s New Ugly Duckling Might Turn Beautiful with Wins

After a disappointing 2011 season, Ferrari launched the F2012 to challenge for the F1 world title.

Amid heavy snowfall and arctic weather conditions (and probably driven in a red Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 from their hotel to the Ferrari factory) the two Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, unveiled the Ferrari F2012.The F2012 is Ferrari's 58th contender for the F1 World Championship. It made its debut in front of a massive world audience who watched the live stream online from Ferrari HQ in Maranello, located in Northern Italy.

A few weeks ago, Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo (who missed today's proceedings) said that he prefers a winning car to a beautiful one and that winning turns an ugly car into a beautiful one. Montezemolo knew in advance why he said it and after taking the wraps off the car, Massa described it politely as 'aggressive.' Ferrari's press release appropriately described it as "not aesthetically pleasing."

That description refers to the stepped nose, a result of Ferrari's interpretation of the new technical regulations that requires a lower front-end and a raised back-end.

These changes were made in order to raise the bottom part of the chassis as much as possible for aerodynamics purposes.The car was exposed from all angles as it stood on a rotating platform. When the back of the car was exposed, the diffuser area was blocked from view by a black bulkhead.The 2.4-liter V8 engine is an evolution of the one that powered last year's car. Much effort has gone into improving the engine's installation in the new chassis, so as not to penalize the aerodynamics of the car.

Ferrari engineers worked on improving the engine's performance drop off in order to maintain good characteristics even toward the engine's three race life-cycle.The engine's electronic management has been revised based on the modifications to the rules regarding the use of exhaust gases.The kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) maintains its low central location in the car (a choice also aimed at maximizing safety) and has undergone an update directed mainly at reducing its weight and improving the efficiency of some of its components.
Because of the arctic weather conditions, Ferrari had to cancel not only the media event but more crucially the F2012's first run on the Fiorano track in order to assess the car's system before testing starts in earnest next week in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.There are only 12 days of testing, said team boss Stefano Domenicali, and in this period Ferrari's new ugly duckling will go through the beauty salon and if the treatment proves successful by winning a few races, the F2012 will surely be considered a beautiful car.

The Car That Could End Red Bull’s Grip on the F1 Title

The most technical-minded team in Formula 1 has launched an evolutionary car for the 2012 F1 Season.

Today McLaren revealed the MP4-27, its challenger for 2012 F1 world title in a media event that took place at the team's headquarters in Surrey, England, at the McLaren Technology Center.The team's pair of drivers, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, were on hand to discuss their expectations for the forthcoming season as the design team explained the new car's appearance.Per tradition, both Hamilton and Button took the wraps off the new car.
The car was painted with all the expected sponsors' logo with a dominant silver color (a reminder of the Mercedes V8 engine that will propel the car, perhaps). Beneath the surface of the MP4-27, there is a car that has been adapted to the new technical regulations of F1 (though they weren't extensive).The exterior of the racer resembles last year's model quite a bit. The chassis, however, was substantially revised from the ground-up with all major systems updated or redesigned for the new season. The most evident visual differences include more tightly-designed rear bodywork.

It was developed to improve air flow toward the rear of the car along with a revised cooling system which re-directs the gearbox oil-cooler. Last year's U-shaped sidepods have also been re-designed - a legacy of the FIA's new exhaust regulations that redefine the shape of the rear bodywork."We've changed the sidepods," said Lewis Hamilton. "We had the L-shaped sidepods last year. The front of the car is generally the same. Obviously the nose dips down a little bit different to last year; we've changed our wing mirrors a little bit, so hopefully we'll be able to see a lot better, which is something that I was pushing hard for.""Felipe [Massa] will be very happy with that."McLaren is proud of its drivers' line-up, which the team claims is the best in the field. This could be seen as a slight affront at the no. 2 drivers of the Ferrari and Red Bull teams, though it is a correct assertion. "Between them, they have scored 22 grand prix victories for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and are the strongest and most consistent driver line-up in the sport," the team said in a statement."For sure we are massively motivated for next year," said Hamilton after he helped Button taking the wraps off the car.

"We have a good-looking car; I think generally when the car looks good, it generally is good, so hopefully that reflects on the circuit."

When asked about their respective winter breaks, Hamilton replied: "I was over in the cold, in the mountains in Colorado, I wasn't missing the car too much."

Button responded "I've had a pretty good winter, spent quite a lot time away somewhere nice and warm to chill out and recharge my batteries but also to do a lot of training. I was back on 5 January, been spending quite a lot of time in the simulator and also just getting back to the way of life of -- of a driver, and then spending time here at the MTC."

The Formula 1 teams will launch their 2012 racing machines during the next fortnight.Stay tuned to Carbuzz.com for full coverage of the build-up to the 2012 F1 racing season. Check out the full unveiling of the McLaren MP4-27 below.

Ferrari FF Skiing on the Slopes of Madonna di Campiglio

A duel between Alonso and Massa ended in a dead heat. 

Every year for the last 22 years, Ferrari kick starts its racing season with an event known as Vroom. It takes place in the beautiful surroundings of the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in Italy. It's unlikely that you will find yourself on those slopes unless your wallet is thick enough, and it is more unlikely that your ski equipment will be a Ferrari FF. However, that's exactly what happened to Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, the pair of Ferrari F1 drivers, who are taking part in the event this week.

Accompanied by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, the two took got behind the wheel of two FFs, one painted dark red for Alonso, the other one deep blue for Massa. They made their way downhill, in between the ski gates, powered by 660hp V12 engines and controlled by AWD systems, trying to avoid crashing into each other.According to the official bulletin, the duel ended in a "perfect dead heat" (though from photographs it looks as if Massa won by miles). "It's incredible how easy it is to drive the FF even on a such a demanding surface and at the same time, how high a performance level you can reach in it," said Alonso enthusiastically.

Massa was of a similar opinion: "The most incredible thing about the car is the fact there is no need to compromise maximum performance and usability."

And when the race ended, Luca di Montezemolo, with Scuderia Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali and Maurizio Arrivabene of Philip Morris International, had lunch with the drivers at the Chalet Fiat. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon in the least bit.

F1 Drivers Struggle with Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Drift Challenge

You’d expect F1 drivers to possess a full array of driving skills, but apparently not.

There's no doubting the skills of an F1 driver who has to make precise maneuvers at lightning-fast speeds, but when it comes to drifting they have nothing on the likes of Ken Block & Co.Seen here in Johnnie Walker's "Join the Pact, Never Drink and Drive" anti-drunk-driving campaign, F1 stars Mika Hakkinen and Jenson Button attempt to sign their initials on the tarmac using a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG as their writing tool. And how did they do exactly?

Although they're a talented duo when lapping the likes of Silverstone, but drifting is clearly not their forte. A doff of our cap for a noble gesture supporting a noble cause nevertheless.