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Mercedes sues Ferrari-bound F1 engineer for stealing secrets

Mercedes is suing one of its Formula One engineers, one Benjamin Hoyle, claiming he was planning to take sensitive data to a competitor. An experienced powertrain engineer, Hoyle came to Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in 2012 with previous experience at Prodrive and Cosworth. One of four team leaders at the company, Hoyle headed up the performance application department until he notified his employers of his intention not to seek renewal of his contract that expires at the end of this year. Once they found out that Hoyle was switching to Ferrari, the higher-ups at Mercedes reassigned him to other, less sensitive duties, however Hoyle was reportedly discovered accessing race reports and other sensitive data relating to the performance of the team's engines. In response, Mercedes has filed suit against Hoyle, claiming that he "and potentially Ferrari have gained an unlawful advantage." The German automaker is seeking the return of all documents and the payment of its legal fees. It also seeks to prevent Hoyle from working for another F1 team throughout next season. Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains is the Daimler's F1 engine division. Based in Brixworth, UK, it was founded back in 1983 together with Ilmor before Mercedes bought it outright. Aside from the company's own works team, the outfit this year powered Williams, Lotus, and Force India, and previously worked with McLaren as well as Sauber. This is not the first time that a case of industrial espionage has emerged in F1. A similar controversy erupted in 2007 surrounding engineers Nigel Stepney and Mike Coughlan. The highly publicized incident became known as "Spygate" or "Stepneygate" and involved the illegal sharing of secrets between Ferrari, McLaren, and Renault. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Martin Meissner/AP Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Motorsports Ferrari Mercedes-Benz F1 industrial espionage

Mercedes-AMG GT3 thunders into Geneva debut [w/video]

Mercedes-Benz took the opportunity to debut its replacement for the SLS AMG GT3 at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show today, showing off the new AMG GT3. Unlike the road car on which it's based, Mercedes ditched the turbocharged V8 for its awesome 6.3-liter V8, which also powered the GT3's predecessor. That's far from the only change found for the racing variant of the new model, however. Mercedes conducted a serious overhaul of the car's aerodynamics, fitting a huge rear wing and an equally enormous front splitter. The front bumper is also home to a quartet of winglets, which add even more downforce to the front end. As we suspected in our original post on the GT3, the rear of the car has been fitted with a none-too-subtle rear diffuser. The cooling needs of the track have also been enhanced, courtesy of large ducts on the fenders and a deep vent in the hood, while meaty slats sit over the front wheel wells. In addition to the rear diffuser, large ducts have been fitted to both sides of the rear bumper. The AMG GT3 looks like a compelling offer in the world of customer racers, although we won't know that for certain until it hits the track for some competition. That should be later this year at the earliest, as Mercedes is targeting late 2015 for the first customer deliveries. Check out our live gallery of images of the new AMG GT3, direct from the floor of the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. World premiere in Geneva for spectacular AMG racing car All-out attack : the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 Affalterbach. Mercedes-AMG will ring in the 2015 motorsport season at the beginning of March with the sonorous sound of the V8 engine: the new Mercedes-AMG GT3, with which the Mercedes-Benz sports car and high-performance brand is systematically expanding its motorsports presence, will be making its debut appearance at the Geneva Motor Show. Developed to comply with the FIA's GT3 race rules, the racing car will compete in the world's most hotly contested customer race series. Cutting-edge racing technology and spectacular design predestine the new challenger for victories. The new GT3 is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT, which is being launched in just a few days' time. Following an intensive test phase, the new AMG racing car will be shipped to the first customer teams at the end of 2015. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 will blaze new trails in customer sports with its intelligent vehicle concept.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class named 2015 World Car of the Year

It's been a good morning for Mercedes-Benz, with three of the company's wares taking home awards today at the New York Auto Show. The 2015 World Car of the Year awards have just been announced, and the charming new C-Class sedan has taken top honors, beating both the new Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mustang. But Car of the Year isn't the only award Mercedes received this morning. Here are the other World Car announcements, where M-B was honored two more times. World Performance Car of the Year: Mercedes-AMG GT World Luxury Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe World Green Car of the Year: BMW i8 World Car Design of the Year: Citroen C4 Cactus Congratulations, all around, to this fantastic group of cars.