Mercedes Benz sponsorship of Formula 1 is celebrated in this television commercial featuring Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Mika Hakkinen, airing on popular public and private TV channels in Germany, Spain, and the UK. The two racers drive back to their hotel in a Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG and a CLK 63 AMG Black Series, Hamilton is momentarily distracted by an attractive woman who happens to be passing by. Alonso quickly takes advantage of the situation and leaves his surprised colleague behind at a traffic light.
The game continues when they arrive at the Hilton hotel reception desk, on the way to and from their hotel rooms, in the gym, and in the sauna. In all of these arenas, neither of the two is prepared to give way. Despite the blistering heat and their exhaustion in the sauna, each of them wants to be the winner. In the end, the driver who steals the show is the experienced professional Mika Häkkinen, who comes from Finland and therefore knows everything there is to know about saunas. But these outstanding sportsmen would not be the champions they are if they didn’t know how to “lose” with a smile once in a while – even if it’s only at a sauna.
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“Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton have a passion for auto racing,” says Norbert Haug, head of Mercedes-Benz Motor Sports. “Both of them are ambitious, focused, and competitive. They cultivate a healthy sense of rivalry and appreciate and respect each other very much. Of course this is obvious on the race track, and it was evident while we were shooting the new TV commercial, too. In spite of the time pressure and their lack of familiarity with the TV medium, they really enjoyed the shoot. Mika Häkkinen, who has won the Formula 1 championship twice, has been in commercials before, and he’s as cool and appealing as ever this time around.”
“The idea for this commercial originated in our brand philosophy,” says Dr. Olaf Göttgens, Vice President Brand Communications Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars. “After all, motor sports are deeply rooted in the history of Mercedes-Benz, and today they’re still an essential element of our brand’s fascination. Motor sports embody the passion that characterizes Mercedes-Benz.”
Credits
The Mercedes F1 spot was developed at Jung von Matt/Basis GmbH/, Hamburg.
Filming in London was directed by Tarsem via Radical Media, Berlin.
Sound was designed by Wenke Kleine-Benne at NHB, Hamburg. The use of Irving Berlin’s “Anything You Can Do”, from Warner Chappell was arranged via Groove Addicts, Los Angeles, by creative director Dain Blair, arranged Jonathan Merrill and mixer Gerhard Joost.
See the Mercedes ‘behind-the-scenes’ documentary. Click on the image below to play the video.