Automotive Design Guide: F1 Silverstone

“The Santander British Grand Prix is a bit of a festival of motorsport - there’s a great atmosphere there, a party vibe, and you meet people who’ve supported you throughout your career, which is always very rewarding. “Of course, the big unknown for this year is the new track configuration. On paper, it looks to have kept most of the classic corners, which is important. We’ve lost Bridge, but we’ve still got Copse, Becketts and Stowe, which is great. “Even though I came to Silverstone last year as the championship leader, I still haven’t won this race. “The Santander British Grand Prix is the halfway point in the season, and our whole team is really hungry for success. After spending most of 2009 out of the hunt, I can tell that everybody is really fired up, particularly for this weekend, where we’ll be performing in front of a home crowd, and all our friends and families. It would be amazing to score another great result at our home race.

“We haven’t raced on this Silverstone configuration before - I’ve looked at the track map, and I’ve seen some onboard footage, and I like what I’ve seen. It still looks fast and sweeping - even the new corners look medium- to high-speed, which is what you want around here. “When you see that kind of dedication, you know you’ve got to repay it. And that’s why I go to Silverstone absolutely determined to get a great result; to make 100,000 people proud of our team and our country. “The Santander British Grand Prix is one of the best races of the year - it’s going to be a brilliant weekend. “In the past three races, we’ve scored 119 points from a possible maximum of 129 - an incredible statistic that tells you a lot about our hunger to fight at the front. “Our home race at Silverstone has a special significance for all of us, and it would make the whole team tremendously proud if either Jenson or Lewis were able to stand atop the podium on Sunday afternoon. Such a result would be the highlight of our season so far. “As we stand at the halfway mark in the season, I’m incredibly pleased with the way the team is currently operating. There’s a real grit and determination at work: you can feel it when you walk in the garage. We’ve created our own internal momentum, and it’s extremely rewarding to see how everyone is pulling together for the greater good. It’s the way great teams work, and I’ve rarely seen the team as single-minded - from factory floor to racetrack - as it is right now.

Exciting areas and powerful lines highlight the vehicle's sporty aspirations. An eye-catching feature of the instrument panel is a large decorative trim element that is then continued along the doors in a very harmonious wrap-around effect. These generously proportioned trim elements, in a three-dimensional design, are available in four high-quality wood finishes, or in aluminium. The interior of the new Mercedes-Benz M-Class can thus be appointed to reflect either exclusive refinement or sporty sophistication, according to the customer's taste. The door openers and seat adjustment switches have been inset with precision craftsmanship into the side trim elements. The door centre panels feature distinctive decorative stitching, with a separate, exclusive look for the Sports package. The state-of-the-art instrument cluster with its two clear and extremely legible round dials and a large, 11.4 cm monochrome display between them, impresses with the high quality of its design. Dominating the centre of the instrument panel in the centre of the vehicle is the large colour screen for the infotainment system.

There is a choice between CD radio, CD radio with integrated navigation system or the COMAND control and display system with the latest navigation system (14.7 cm screen diagonal for the CD radios, 17.8 cm for the internet-enabled COMAND Online). The control and display concept was developed specifically with user-friendly operation in mind. Infotainment, navigation and communication systems are intuitive and easy to operate using the metal Controller located on the centre console. Two buttons are used to switch the display on and off. Vertical rectangular air intake vents either side of the large screen serve to emphasise the more functional aspects of the SUV. The outer air vents are the same shape but in this case horizontally positioned, thus giving an added design flair. The dashboard console and air intake vents feature edging with a quality Silver Shadow finish. The row of high-gloss silver switches in the dashboard console are characterised by their ergonomic design and discernible precision. The same applies to the air conditioning and ventilation setting, as already proven in Mercedes-Benz saloons.