The Schumacher-Rosberg duo might not be a race-winning team, but they are very good at publicity work, and that seems to be enough for Mercedes. Just before the European Grand Prix this weekend Michael and Nico went to tour the Rastatt production facility in Baden, where the new Mercedes A Class is being made, and also tried their hand at assembling the pistons and cylinder heads of an AMG engine at Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach.

The engine partly built by the F1 boys is a 5.5 liter biturbo V8 used in almost every single AMG car. The one they made will be put in a Mercedes CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake that will get its world premiere at the “Night of the Stars” in Hockenheim. Obviously, the engine will carry an AMG engine plate signed by Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and, as per AMG tradition.

“It’s fascinating to see behind the scenes of the ultra-modern facilities here at Mercedes-AMG,” enthused Nico Rosberg. “We met a lot of true Formula One fans among the people here. Like us, they work to the highest levels of precision and can really show the art of engineering, as they develop the highest performance Mercedes vehicles. It was an interesting challenge to help assemble the AMG V8 engine – and an interesting comparison to when I did the same with our Formula One engine last year. It gives me even more respect for all the people who work in the AMG engine build facility.”

“It’s amazing to see how AMG has developed since I last visited in the 1990s, when I made a guest start in the DTM,” commented Michael Schumacher. “The people at AMG are incredibly enthusiastic, and have real spirit for performance and passion for motorsport. I was impressed by the ultra-modern AMG engine assembly facilities, where they produce the most powerful but also most efficient V12 and V8 engines in the world.”