Mercedes to score off-track too
After bagging double championship honours, circuit kings look to lead in trackside hospitality
In recent years, Mercedes have been kings of the circuit in Formula 1.
Not content just being out in front on the track, they are now looking to lead the way in the paddock as well by enhancing their trackside hospitality experience for their guests.
In the past two years, Mercedes have cruised to the constructors' championship, twice finishing nearly 300 points ahead of their closest rivals, while Lewis Hamilton won the drivers' championship ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg.
The 2016 season has been no different with Hamilton and Mercedes once again leading the way, with seven races left to go.
Next up on their agenda is Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, which was a race to forget for them last year as Hamilton retired after 33 laps, while Rosberg had to settle for fourth place.
Although Hamilton has expressed confidence that they will fare better this time, Rosberg and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff both conceded that the Marina Bay Street Circuit is more suited for Red Bull and Ferrari.
While it remains to be seen if it will be either Hamilton or Rosberg standing at the top of the podium come Sunday evening, Mercedes have a guaranteed success in their latest innovation to enhance the experience of their guests.
Members of the media were yesterday given a tour of the Mercedes garage and allowed to experience the latest Mercedes initiative, which involved augmented reality technology in partnership with official partner Epson.
After taking a seat right behind Hamilton and Rosberg's cars, guests put on a pair of Epson's Moverio smart glasses which allow them to take on a different visual dimension.
Projected contents are overlaid on the lenses of the glasses, showing team-related content like the anatomy of the racecars, race-day roles of engineering and the explanation of a pit stop in slow motion.
"The combination of smart glasses and augmented reality technology today brings much potential to enchance the viewing experience of guests," said Siew Jin Kiat, regional general manager (South-east Asia) visual instruments of Epson Singapore.
"We look forward to delivering new and exciting visual experiences to viewers through Moverio, in partnership with our customers and independent software vendors."
This new guest experience, which Mercedes assert is the first of its kind across all the F1 teams, is the latest development to emerge in their continued association with Epson, which the team stressed was a partnership and not a sponsorship.
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