The experience gained by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton last year will stand him in good stead for the season’s run in this time around, he has said.
In his rookie season last year, Hamilton was on course to be world champion before letting it slip in the final two races, now as this season approaches the business end, the Brit has much more of an idea what is in front of him.
He said: "Last year I had to take one race at a time and that was a good approach because I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know how to last the whole season mentally.
"This year, having had that experience, I know more about what I want from the car. I know the ins and outs of the game a lot better. My approach is a lot more controlled than last year. I still plan on winning, but scoring points by making sensible decisions at the time." With six races of the current formula one season still to go Hamilton finds himself six points clear at the top of the drivers’ championship.
Mercedes DTM drivers Jamie Green and Paul Di Resta will be supported in any way possible by other members of the team in their quest to win this year’s DTM title race.
The British duo are currently nine points off the pace in the race for the DTM title, but with fellow Mercedes DTM drivers Bruno Spengler and Bernd Schneider too far behind to win the title themselves, they will do all they can to make sure their team-mates do.
Spengler told Autosport.com: "I will still go to every race trying to win. But if the situation comes up where I can help them, of course I will do it."
Schneider added: "I will try to help both of those guys in any way I can for the rest of the year. The important thing is that Mercedes wins the title."
New rules in the sport ban drivers from deliberately slowing down for the best interests of their team, and Schneider continued that he was tempted to let di Resta, in his AMG Mercedes C-Class pass at the Nurburgring recently but thought it would look like team orders.
There are three races to go in the DTM calendar at Barcelona, Le Mans and Hockenheim.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York is gearing up for its eight days of shows this month.
Bryant Park is to be the centre of the event, where fashionistas, journalists, designers and scenesters will be there to check out what the population will be wearing come spring/summer next year.
In anticipation of the event, Saks Fifth Avenue held a gala event last night.
IMG Fashion senior vice president Fern Mallis said: "We couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the fantastic schedule we have planned for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this season.
"Once again we are showcasing both the most well-known and up and coming designers in the world."
The likes of Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karen will all be taking part in the show, which is rated by many as the best Fashion Week outside of Paris.
Up to 100,000 people are involved in the shows, from reviewing and buying collections to attending the runway displays themselves.
This weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa is the first race of the final third of the 2008 calendar and is an exciting basis for the start of the season’s finale, according to Mercedes-Benz Motorsport vice president Norbert Haug.
With Vodafone Mercedes McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton currently leading the drivers’ championship by six points, there are reasons for the team to remain optimistic.
But only 15 points cover the top four in the championship and Haug points out that five different formula one drivers have already got a victory under their belt this season, so nothing should be taken for granted.
However, he outlined the important roles needed to try and make sure that Hamilton or team-mate Heikki Kovalainen can finish top of the drivers’ championship come the end of the season’s final race in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
He said: "Apart from the speed necessary for winning, obviously the reliability of the technical package will play the most important role. We have to be top-class when it comes to scoring points and everybody in the team is working hard to achieve this."
Vodafone Mercedes McLaren will also have aspirations of finishing the season as the top constructor and are currently situated nine points off the lead on 113 points.
Daimler AG manufacturer smart has celebrated the tenth anniversary of its smart fortwo by rolling the one millionth smart fortwo vehicle off its production line in Hambach, Germany.
The anniversary vehicle, which is a micro hybrid drive in the passion equipment line, has been given a silver metallic colour and has a 52 kW/71 bhp engine and will be donated to charity.
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, president and chief executive of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: "The continuing rising demand shows the success and the potential of the smart fortwo from Hambach. This year we have already sold 90,000 cars."
He added that further smart developments are in the pipeline with a small series of smart fortwo electric drive vehicles with lithium-ion batteries expected by the end of 2009.
The smart fortwo is a rear-engined two-seater vehicle that was first debuted at the 1998 Paris Motor Show and one of its key benefits is its small size, invaluable for trying to squeeze into small parking spaces.
Mercedes DTM drivers Paul di Resta and Jamie Green are both nine points off the lead with three races remaining in the DTM season after respectable finishes at Brands Hatch at the weekend.
AMG Mercedes C-Class driver di Resta finished in second over the 82 lap circuit, despite a ten-kilo weight handicap, and Green in his Salzgitter AMG Mercedes C-Class crossed the chequered flag in fourth.
Norman Haug, vice president of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, believed it was an awesome touring car race and di Resta drove exceptionally well to lose the race by only 0.793 seconds.
He said: "Paul was able to drive faster, but overtaking is impossible here. At the finish, he was only eight tenths of a second behind - it could hardly have been closer, and I think all the spectators enjoyed that."
The Mercedes duo are both now on 45 points after eight of the 11 races and di Resta was happy with the result and stated that the championship is still open.
Green added that he got the most he could out of his car and was undone by some hard luck on the day.
Lewis Hamilton is looking forward to "one of the biggest challenges in formula one", as he prepares for the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa at the weekend.
The 23-year-old Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver is currently six points clear at the head of the drivers’ championship and will be looking to extend this lead further at one of formula one’s most revered circuits.
Renowned for its high-speed corners, the Spa track has been a mainstay on the formula one calendar since 1950 and Hamilton states it has been one of his favourites since playing it on his computer in his younger days.
"It’s one of my all-time favourites. Even before I first came here, which was back in 2002 for a Formula Renault race, I played it on my computer - it was always one of the best tracks," the Brit said.
"It has probably the most exciting corner in formula one, Eau Rouge, and it’s one of the few circuits where you really feel like you’re actually going somewhere; you blast off into the forest and get to the top of the hill and can feel the whole circuit beneath you. It’s one of the best challenges in formula one."
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen was slightly dejected after a host of minor problems played a role in spoiling his chances of a podium finish in the European Grand Prix at the weekend.
The Finn had to be content with fourth place and five points in the first Grand Prix around Valencia’s new street circuit, but he believes a tyre error may have had a bearing on his final position.
He said: "My start was good. However, I’m not really happy with how the race went for me after that, because I had grip problems with the prime tyres in the first and second stints - whereas with the option tyres in the last stint I had much better grip and traction."
Kovalainen added that he was pleased to score five points, although a position on the podium would have been "much nicer", but it was good that the team scored well, courtesy of his fourth place and the second place finish of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
The Vodafone Mercedes McLaren team scored 13 points from the race, more than any other team on the day, which allowed them to move to within eight points of taking the lead in the constructors’ championship.
Motorists looking for a vehicle high on safety could do no worse than buying a Mercedes-Benz M-class, after the model has been given a five-star rating for adult occupation protection.
Results released from crash test agency Euro NCAP has found that the off-roader scored the maximum rating in the assessment.
During the safety test the Mercedes-Benz ML-class scored maximum points for its performance in the side impact and pole tests as the occupant compartment and footwell remained stable during impact and the front seat occupants’ knees and femurs were well protected.
Mercedes-Benz also showed that the driver knee airbag and passenger restraint system would provide similar protection regardless of the different sizes of the driver, the position in which they sat and the positions of others within the car.
Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of Euro NCAP, said: "I am delighted that more and more manufacturers are achieving five stars in our crash-tests, but it is imperative that Euro NCAP continues to set higher benchmarks for car makers to aspire to.
"The creation of new technologies means enhanced safety performance and a potential reduction of fatalities on our roads. We intend to reward those manufacturers that make this their ultimate goal."
Lewis Hamilton was satisfied with his second place finish at the European Grand Prix in Valencia, a result that extended his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship to six points.
The 23-year-old Brit overcame a bout of flu and a neck spasm to make the start line in Valencia and after suffering those problems was content with how the race unfolded.
He said: "I can’t complain with second place today. This was a strong weekend for us despite my having a few problems health-wise, but we pulled through."
Hamilton was also pleased with how the result impacted on the Vodafone Mercedes McLaren team, as he finished second and team-mate Heikki Kovalainen finished fourth, taking took the team to within eight points of topping the constructor’s title.
He added: "Heikki and I scored 13 points today, which is very positive for the team, so I’d describe it as a satisfactory weekend for us."
After overcoming his pre-race problems, Hamilton was described by Vodafone Mercedes McLaren boss Ron Dennis as the "best in Formula One at the moment".
