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Tesla enlists former Formula One champion as Model S driver for Nürburgring run

(Credit: E for Electric/YouTube)

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Tesla’s upcoming Nürburgring run with the Model S just became even more interesting. Not long after CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla will be taking its flagship sedan to the iconic German track, former Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg volunteered to be the electric car maker’s test driver. Musk graciously accepted. 

In a rather humble gesture, Rosberg offered his professional driving skills to Tesla by asking Musk if the company needed a “decent driver” for the Model S’ Nürburgring run. Musk responded very positively, stating that having the former Formula One champion as Tesla’s driver “would be great.” 

Since retiring after his historic win at the Formula One World Championship in 2016, Rosberg has proven to be a strong proponent of sustainable transportation. Apart from his open love for Tesla’s electric cars such as the Model 3 Performance, Rosberg has also co-founded the Greentech Festival, an event that showcases some of the world’s most cutting-edge environmentally-friendly technologies. 

This makes Rosberg the perfect driver for Tesla’s Model S Nürburgring lap. Apart from his impeccable skills as a professional racing driver, Rosberg is also very familiar with the way electric cars work, at times even remarking that he wants EVs to go faster. While testing the Tesla Model S Performance’s Ludicrous Plus launch, for example, Rosberg joking stated that he wants a vehicle with “Ludicrous Plus Plus Mode.” With this in mind, Rosberg is probably the best driver in the industry that can push the Tesla Model S to its limits on the Nürburgring. 

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Tesla’s Model S of choice for its Nürburgring lap might already in Germany, as hinted at by sightings of a vehicle with US plates being transported by a truck that seemed to be heading towards the iconic racetrack. Quite interestingly, the Tesla Model S in question was reportedly equipped with Michelin Sport Pilot Cup 2 R tires, which are optimized for track use. Tire review site TireBuyer describes the Michelin’s Pilot Cup 2 R as a “semi-slick tire developed to beat track records.”

While initial reports following Elon Musk’s Twitter announcement noted that Tesla has not reserved an exclusive slot for a record attempt at the Nürburgring, a later statement from a Tesla spokesperson explained that the electric car maker will simply be part of the coming week’s Industry Pool testing in the track. “Tesla is excited to be a part of the Industry Pool testing community next week at the Nürburgring. Our participation is confirmed and contracted by the Nürburgring,” the spokesperson said. 

It should be noted that while Tesla will not be allowed to conduct lap timing for the Model S during its participation in this coming week’s Industry Pool testing, the company will nevertheless be able to openly test the capabilities of its flagship sedan around the nearly 13-mile circuit.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk’s xAI, creator of Grok and Grokipedia, celebrates its third birthday

xAI Memphis highlighted several of its milestones over the years in its celebratory post. 

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Credit: xAI

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has marked its third anniversary. The update was shared in a post from the xAI Memphis account on social media platform X.

xAI Memphis highlighted several of its milestones over the years in its celebratory post

As per xAI, it has built three massive data centers in the city, launched a coherent cluster of 330,000 GBs, created over 3,000 jobs, and paid over $30 million in taxes to local communities.

xAI’s Memphis operation has become a key part of the company’s infrastructure as the company works to train and deploy its Grok artificial intelligence models. Elon Musk has been quite optimistic about Grok’s potential, noting in the past that the large language model might have a shot at achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). 

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xAI’s Memphis’ crown jewel is its Colossus supercomputer cluster. The project was announced in 2024 and has since become the home of one of the world’s largest AI compute facilities. The first phase of Colossus reached its initial 100,000 GPU operational milestone in just 122 days, or just about four months.

Industry figures such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang have praised the facility, noting that projects of similar scale typically take two to four years to complete.

xAI has cited Memphis’ central location, skilled workforce, and industrial infrastructure as key reasons for selecting the city as the home of its AI training operations. The company has also emphasized plans to expand the site further as it scales compute capacity for Grok and future AI models.

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Tesla Sweden’s Megapack Supercharger near Arlanda continues to aggravate IF Metall union

The charging site, located in Arlandastad outside Stockholm, appears to be operating despite ongoing union blockade measures tied to Tesla’s labor dispute in the country.

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Credit: Tesla Charging/X

Tesla Sweden’s Megapack-powered Supercharger station near Arlanda Airport has continued to aggravate Swedish labor union IF Metall. The charging site, located in Arlandastad outside Stockholm, appears to be operating despite ongoing union blockade measures tied to Tesla’s labor dispute in the country.

Comments about the site were shared by IF Metall representatives in remarks to Swedish publication CarUp.

The Arlandastad location includes eight Tesla Superchargers powered by a Megapack battery system. Unlike traditional charging stations that rely on direct grid connections, the site uses a large battery installation to store electricity and power the chargers.

According to the Swedish publication, the setup allowed the station to come online despite sympathy measures from Sweden’s electricians’ union, which has attempted to prevent companies from cooperating with Tesla as part of the broader labor conflict.

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IF Metall press manager Jesper Pettersson indicated that the union was not aware that the Superchargers had already been connected and activated.

“We do not know the details around this. But it is further proof of how Tesla systematically finds loopholes to circumvent the sympathy measures through active strikebreaking. Every time this happens it gives us reason to sharpen our conflict measures,” Pettersson said.

Union representatives also noted that the Megapack appears to be charged using electrical cables routed through nearby terrain, though the exact power source remains under review.

The Megapack-powered site has then prompted questions from Swedish labor unions about how electricity is being supplied to the system.

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IF Metall has submitted a report to Sweden’s Energy Market Inspectorate asking the regulator to review whether the electricity supply arrangement complies with national regulations. The Megapack is reportedly charged using electricity from a local company, though the provider has not been publicly identified.

Peter Lydell, an ombudsman at IF Metall, previously stated that Swedish law limits electricity trading to companies with proper authorization.

“The legislation states that only companies that engage in electricity trading may supply electricity to other parties. You may not supply electricity without a permit, then you are engaging in illegal electricity trading. That is why we have reported this… 

“This is about a company that helps Tesla circumvent the conflict measures that exist. It is clear that it is troublesome and it can also have consequences,” Lydell said.

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IF Metall and Tesla Sweden’s conflict has been going on for over two years now. 

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Starbase after dark: Musk’s latest photo captures a Spaceport on the brink of history

SpaceX’s Starbase city in Boca Chica, Texas is rapidly transforming the southern tip of the Lone Star State into one of the most ambitious launch complexes in history.

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Elon Musk shares nighttime view of latest Starbase in Texas

A striking nighttime photograph of SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, shared recently by Elon Musk on X, offers a dramatic glimpse of an operation that is rapidly transforming the southern tip of the Lone Star State into one of the most ambitious launch complexes in history.

The most immediately visible change in the photo is the presence of two fully erected Starship launch towers dominating the coastal skyline. The second orbital launch pad, known as Pad B, now features its fully erected tower, OLIT-3, which stands approximately 474 feet tall and incorporates an integrated water-cooled flame trench designed to minimize damage and reduce turnaround time between launches. The dual-tower silhouette against the night sky signals a decisive shift from experimental testing facility to high-cadence launch operations.

Grok Image concept of Elon Musk’s latest Starbase photo via X

Back at Starbase, Pad 2 is approaching hardware completion, with upgraded chopstick arms, a new chilldown vent system, and all 20 hold-down arms now fitted with protective doors to shield them from the intense exhaust of up to 33 Raptor 3 engines, according to a deeper dive by NASASpaceFlight.

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SpaceX has also received approval to nearly double the footprint of the Starbase launch site, with groundwork already underway to add LNG liquefaction plants, expanded propellant storage, and additional ground support infrastructure.

The photo also carries a milestone civic dimension. Starbase officially became a Texas city in May 2025 after a community vote, with SpaceX employees elected as mayor and commissioners of the newly incorporated municipality. That legal status streamlines launch approvals and gives SpaceX direct control over local infrastructure decisions.

The FAA has approved an increase in launches from Starbase in Texas from five to twenty-five per year, clearing the runway for the kind of flight frequency needed to fulfill Starship’s ultimate mission of ferrying cargo and crew to the Moon, servicing the Department of Defense, deploying next-generation Starlink satellites, and eventually establishing Elon Musk’s long sought after goal of a self-sustaining human presence on Mars.

Seen from above in the dark, Starbase looks less like a test site and more like a spaceport.

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