Mercedes-Benz Australia has marked 17 years as a partner of the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix with its largest trackside presence to date, hosting more than 5,000 customers and fans across four days at Albert Park.

The company says its 2026 activation is the biggest in its history at the event, and the largest of any brand on the circuit this year. Across two adjacent hospitality spaces – the Mercedes-AMG Lounge and the Mercedes-AMG Grandstand – the brand has secured more than 150 metres of trackside frontage at Turns 9 and 10, one of the fastest sections of the circuit.

The expanded presence is intended to support the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team and its drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, while also providing a platform to showcase historic and current road cars.

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Inside the invitation-only AMG Lounge, Mercedes-Benz is displaying several heritage vehicles as part of its 140-year anniversary celebrations. These include a replica of the 1888 Benz Patent Motor Car, recognised as the first automobile to complete a long-distance journey, and a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 220 SL roadster prototype.

The 220 SL is one of four experimental W127 cars built and is believed to be the only surviving example. It is also the only six-cylinder 220 SL produced in right-hand drive. The car was discovered in Australia in the 1970s before being identified in Germany as one of the original prototypes and later restored at the Mercedes-Benz Adelaide workshop.

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The Lounge and Grandstand are also being used for local public debuts of new models, including the Mercedes-Maybach SL 680 and the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO. A replica of the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé Medical Car is on display to mark 30 years since the brand first supplied the FIA Formula 1 Safety Car in 1996.

Over three decades, 13 different Mercedes-Benz models have served as Safety Cars and eight as Medical Cars in Formula 1. In 2026, Mercedes-AMG will be the sole supplier of both vehicles at every Grand Prix.

The anniversary activity extends beyond Melbourne. As part of a global “140. Years. 140 Places.” program, three new S-Class sedans are travelling more than 50,000 kilometres across six continents, with Australia scheduled as one of the later stops this year.

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