Lauda irked at Red Bull for dropping circuit corner that bore his name

Austria hasn't hosted a Formula One grand prix since the 2003 race at the old A1 Ring. Since then Red Bull bought the track, renovated it and returned it to the calendar this year as the Red Bull Ring for a race on June 22. We could look at this as a quaint story of a historic F1 track finally returning to the series after a long delay. However, there is a very angry Austrian who is not happy about how things are going - namely, three-time F1 World Driver's Champion Niki Lauda.

According to Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung, as part of its renovation of the track, Red Bull sold off the naming rights of the corners to sponsors. The former Niki Lauda Kurve is now the Pirelli Kurve. Fellow Austrian F1 driver Gerhard Berger also lost his turn, and it's now the Würth Kurve. Only famous racer Jochen Rindt has retained his name on the track.

Lauda was furious when he found out about the change and demanded to know who made the decision. He told the paper that he suspects that the renaming has to do with his current position at the Mercedes-Benz F1 team, which is beating the Red Bull squad soundly this year. Lauda already has plans to get back for the perceived slight. He said that Mercedes would be celebrating a 1-2 victory for this year's return of the grand prix to Austria. Given Lauda's past and his team's season, that might not be too big of a boast.
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Turbocharger tweak responsible for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 dominance? [w/videos]

The image above is a screenshot from a Mercedes-Benz video illustrating the workings of the power unit in its current Formula One challenger, the F1 W05. We're looking at the back of the engine, the exhaust-driven turbocharger in the foreground connected to the compressor via a fluted tube that is the heat-based energy recovery system, the ERS-H, that can be used to power the turbo. Except this isn't what the engine looks like.

As first discussed in a video by F1 technical blogger Craig Scarborough, then further explained in a video by Sky Sports, perhaps the single biggest development in the Mercedes power unit is that the turbocharger and the compressor sit on opposite sides of the engine; the turbo still sits at the back, but the compressor is at the front of the 1.6-liter V6 and the two are connected by a long shaft that runs through the engine's vee. Locating the compressor away from the turbo allows cooler, denser air to enter the engine, providing more power, and shortens the length of ducting necessary to get the air from the compressor through the intercooler and into the cylinders, meaning less turbo lag. The Sky report also suggests the arrangement lowers the temperature at the rear of the car, meaning the gearbox can be moved closer to the engine to improve balance, and has other benefits such as allowing smaller sidepods and more efficient use of the ERS-H.

Scarborough tweeted a line drawing of the concept, and someone else managed to snap a photo of the slightly obscured compressor on an actual engine. If the images from Ferrari and Renault Sport are to be believed then neither uses the same layout, even though the Magneti Marelli turbo that Ferrari uses did, at one time, place the ERS-H unit between the turbo and the compressor. There is certainly more to Mercedes AMG Petronas dominance than this one trick, but if it's a major contributor then the competition will have to find another way to challenge it: the engines are homologated for the year.


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Tier 1 suppliers call GM the worst OEM to work with

Among automakers with a big US presence, General Motors is the worst to work for, according to a new survey from Tier 1 automotive suppliers, conducted by Planning Perspectives, Inc.

The Detroit-based manufacturer, which has been under fire following the ignition switch recall and its accompanying scandal, finished behind six other automakers with big US manufacturing operations. Suppliers had issues with trust and communications, as well as intellectual property protection. GM was also the least likely to allow suppliers to raise their prices in the face of unexpected increases in material cost, all of which contributed to 55 percent of suppliers saying their relationship with GM was "poor to very poor."

GM's cross-town competitors didn't fare much better. Chrysler finished in fifth place, ahead of GM and behind Dearborn-based Ford, which was passed for third place this year by Nissan. Toyota took the top marks, while Honda captured second place.

PPI also surveyed suppliers of Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, each of which has considerably smaller manufacturing presence relative to the American and Japanese brands (there are only three US factories between the three of them). Mercedes and VW were ranked behind GM, while BMW would have been just behind Toyota.

According to Reuters, this survey serves to illustrate a big issue facing American manufacturers - Japanese brands aren't just on good terms with suppliers, but their relations are actually improving. PPI boss John Henke said the popularity of Toyota and Nissan among suppliers increased considerably, indicating that we "could be entering an era in supplier relations that doesn't bode well for the US Big Three."
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Race Recap: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix is boom and bust [spoilers]

The Spanish Grand Prix's 2.892-mile Circuit de Catalunya is considered a preview for the rest of the season, since it's a combination of long front straight and twisting middle sectors mimic sections from every other Formula One track to follow. After the long break following the flyaway races to open the season, teams and fans have also been looking forward to this race to see if anyone had a realistic hope of catching Mercedes AMG Petronas; Infiniti Red Bull Racing honcho Christian Horner boiled his team's outlook for the season down to the line, "We've got to [beat them in Spain] if we're going to make a championship of it."

If we take that as our starting point then the weekend began as a bust. Lewis Hamilton only just beat Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for pole, the Brit's final effort getting him 0.178 seconds clear of the German. Daniel Ricciardo, proving Red Bull is at least the best of the rest, took third but did so more than a second behind Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas of Williams lined up fourth, almost 1.5 second behind and Romain Grosjean delivered overdue good news for Lotus by taking fifth on the grid, more than 1.7 seconds behind pole. Kimi Räikkönen in sixth outqualified his Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso in seventh, but he couldn't be happy about it because the Ferraris were nearly two seconds behind, and Jenson Button in eighth in the McLaren was more than two second behind. Felipe Massa put the second Williams in ninth, and Sebastian Vettel overcame a terrible start to the weekend to make it into Q3, then didn't set a time when his gearbox failed, then got dropped five places to 15th on the grid when the gearbox had to be changed.

When the lights went out, then came the boom...
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Race Recap: 2014 Spanish Grand Prix is boom and bust [spoilers]

The Spanish Grand Prix's 2.892-mile Circuit de Catalunya is considered a preview for the rest of the season, since it's a combination of long front straight and twisting middle sectors mimic sections from every other Formula One track to follow. After the long break following the flyaway races to open the season, teams and fans have also been looking forward to this race to see if anyone had a realistic hope of catching Mercedes AMG Petronas; Infiniti Red Bull Racing honcho Christian Horner boiled his team's outlook for the season down to the line, "We've got to [beat them in Spain] if we're going to make a championship of it."

If we take that as our starting point then the weekend began as a bust. Lewis Hamilton only just beat Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for pole, the Brit's final effort getting him 0.178 seconds clear of the German. Daniel Ricciardo, proving Red Bull is at least the best of the rest, took third but did so more than a second behind Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas of Williams lined up fourth, almost 1.5 second behind and Romain Grosjean delivered overdue good news for Lotus by taking fifth on the grid, more than 1.7 seconds behind pole. Kimi Räikkönen in sixth outqualified his Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso in seventh, but he couldn't be happy about it because the Ferraris were nearly two seconds behind, and Jenson Button in eighth in the McLaren was more than two second behind. Felipe Massa put the second Williams in ninth, and Sebastian Vettel overcame a terrible start to the weekend to make it into Q3, then didn't set a time when his gearbox failed, then got dropped five places to 15th on the grid when the gearbox had to be changed.

When the lights went out, then came the boom...
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Morocco offering 'cash for clunkers' program for Mercedes W123 taxis

As the models continue to grow older, the Ford Crown Victoria is slowly but surely disappearing from US cities as the prevailing taxicab. The same thing is happening in Morocco with its huge fleet of Mercedes-Benz W123-chassis taxis thanks to a little help from the government. The authorities cite safety and environmental reasons for the decades-old sedans to be removed from the road in a cash-for-clunkers-style program slated to start by the end of the year.

According to Ran When Parked, there are about 55,000 W123 taxis operating in Morocco. The body style was built throughout the '70s and '80s with a variety of gasoline and diesel engines, and they earned a reputation for doing high miles with great reliability. The cab drivers like them because they can cram several people in and still fit on the crowded streets. To stop the stream of old Mercedes cabs, the country's government made it quite expensive to import vehicles more than five years old.

In addition to improving air quality, the cash-for-clunkers program might stimulate local business. Renault and Dacia operate a factory in Tangier, Morocco, that builds some vans, including the Dacia Dokker. Ran When Parked claims the authorities would give drivers about 50,000 Dirhams ($6,100) to trade in their cars, and Renault would provide an additional 10,000 Dirhams ($1,200) to switch to one of its vehicles. Maybe it's finally time for the W123 to pass the torch...
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Mercedes takes off with Heli-Express airport transfer service in Melbourne

There may be more luxurious ways to get to the airport than in a Mercedes-Benz, but there aren't many. Especially if you live in Australia.

The Mercedes dealership in Melbourne operates a remote location at the airport where you can valet your car while you travel. Drive up to the Mercedes-Benz Melbourne Airport Express dealership and you can drop off your car, have a chauffeur shuttle you to the departures terminal, and when you return, be picked up again at the arrivals terminal, brought back to your washed car - maybe even have it serviced while your gone - and you're on your way.

In short, it's like any other valet service, only with more... Merced-ease. But here's where the program really takes off: the dealer has now partnered with Air Melbourne to include helicopter service. So instead of driving to the airport, you drive to the heliport at South Wharf just a few miles from downtown Melbourne, check in for your flight right there, then board one of two new twin-engined Augusta Grand helicopters (not the Eurocopters outfitted by Mercedes-Benz Style) and fly straight to the airport dealership in just four minutes, then be transferred to the terminal by Mercedes shuttle.

Land again at the airport and a Mercedes chauffeur will take you back to the dealer where you'll catch your copter back to South Wharf. All of which doesn't strike us as a bad way to travel. Assuming, that is, you live in (or are traveling to) Melbourne and have more money than time.
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