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2015 Mexican Grand Prix is a lot like old times

The last time Formula One visited Mexico, in 1992, 26 cars powered by eight engine manufacturers (counting Honda and Mugen-Honda separately) lined up on the grid; it would have been nine engine makers but the Brabham-Judd cars failed to qualify. In 1992 Lewis Hamilton was seven years old, Sebastian Vettel was five, Max Verstappen was still five years away from being born. Two of the current Sky Sports F1 commentary team, Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert, were drivers. The starting three were Nigel Mansell on pole – 39 years old, this the year he'd win his only World Championship – and Riccardo Patrese both driving Williams-Renault cars, followed by Michael Schumacher in a Benetton-Ford. Only 13 of the 26 starters would finish. The circuit is has been reworked to today's safer standards, the track surface is brand new and slippery, but the atmosphere and packed grandstands haven't changed. Nico Rosberg was another point of consistency, scoring pole position for the fourth race in a row to beat his now-World-Champion teammate Hamilton by almost two-tenths of a second. The last time Rosberg turned pole position into a victory? The Spanish Grand Prix back in May. Vettel locked up third for Ferrari, followed by the Infiniti Red Bull Racing duo of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. Williams went two-up as well, Valtteri Bottas in sixth ahead of Felipe Massa in seventh. Max Verstappen turned in a great late lap to reserve eighth place, Sergio Perez did all he could in front of his home crowd to get ninth, teammate Nico Hulkenberg the caboose in the top ten. In that 1992 race the first three on the grid finished the race in the same order after Mansell dominated, and it was almost the same in 2015. If Rosberg had driven the whole season like he drove today the Driver's World Championship would still be up for grabs. He got a great start and held his line through the first corner, coming out ahead of Hamilton through the initial kinks, pulling away as soon as he got to the straight. Hamilton was never more than a few seconds behind, but every time the Brit inched closer the German found a few more tenths to keep his distance. The field got bunched up when the Safety Car came out on Lap 53 after Vettel spun and got stuck in the barriers, but Rosberg handled the restart perfectly. Both drivers made small mistakes in the last few laps while driving on the edge, but Rosberg earned a strong victory, crossing the line two seconds ahead of his teammate.

Apple lends prestige to a new Mercedes-Benz music system

Not often does Apple offer its name to products or technologies that emerge from beyond the walls of Fortress Cupertino. Could a partnership with Mercedes-Benz signal the start of something new? Mercedes’ new audio system unveiled this past weekend centers on the integration of Apple MusicÂ’s Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos surround — a music enhancement generally heard in headphone-listening environments — in selected (and optional) Burmester audio systems. Plans are to offer the components initially in the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, the S-Class as well as the EQE, EQE SUV, EQS and EQS SUV. No prices for the options were announced. Also partnering in the project is the Universal Music Group, one of the worldÂ’s leading music publishers. According to Mercedes, the Dolby tech “empowers musicians and audio engineers to place discrete audio elements or objects in a three-dimensional sound field, which goes beyond the capabilities of standard stereo productions. The system adapts to any playback environment, meaning fans can listen to music with unparalleled clarity that matches the artist's original vision in the studio.” We would expect no less from 31 speakers in a Maybach, powered by a pair of amps churning out 1,750 watts. Imagine Keith Richards cranking guitar through 31 speakers in an enclosed car cockpit. Almost three out of four music consumers say that they listen mostly in a car, says Mercedes Chairman Ola Kallenius. ”Through this exceptional partnership, we are giving our customers the extraordinary in-car audio experience they expect from Mercedes-Benz,” he said. “Both Apple and UMG share our vision and values and, together with Dolby, we will create a seamless and unique experience for our customers." Partnerships between automakers and audio companies have become common in recent years, and there have been mixed results from systems attempting to create a "surround sound" experience that goes beyond stereo. Bose put its systems into General Motors cars decades ago, and others followed, including Bowers & Wilkins, JBL and even the legendary McIntosh. Most recently, famed Italian speaker designer Sonon faber found a home in Maserati's new Grecale, and British speaker maker KEF is working with Lotus.  

Mercedes-Maybach GLS Edition 100 layers on the opulence

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Edition 100 was revealed yesterday, but it wasn’t the only new Maybach product to come out. No, in addition to the S-Class, Mercedes took the wraps off the Mercedes-Maybach GLS Edition 100. We didnÂ’t have the details for the SUV version right away, but we have them now. None of those details are all that surprising, though. The GLS Edition 100 is built to celebrate the same Maybach centennial milestone as the S-Class, and its appearance is essentially a copycat of the sedan. The one key difference versus the sedan is the number of cylinders under the hood. Mercedes puts its V12 in the S-Class, while the GLS soldiers on with the V8. Let the tears made of money flow for the lack of the additional four cylinders. At least everything else is largely equivalent. The GLS Edition 100 gets painted in the same Designo Crystal White and Silver Grey Pearl two-tone paint scheme. YouÂ’ll find the “Edition 100” Maybach logo on the D-pillar of the GLS. Plus, the logo makes another appearance on the stunning forged grey wheels. The interior of the GLS Edition 100 is also similar to the S-Class, in that itÂ’s finished with a special leather design that is also two-tone in nature with Crystal White and Silver Grey Pearl hides. Everybody who buys one of these Edition 100 cars gets a unique branded car cover and a special case meant to store keys and the carÂ’s paperwork. Pricing isnÂ’t detailed, but Mercedes says Edition 100 cars will be at dealers at the start of 2022 — orders will be taken in the fourth quarter of this year. Related video: