Current Mercedes

Mercedes GP

FIA Entry: Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team
Car 7: Michael Schumacher
Car 8: Nico Rosberg
Engine: Mercedes V8
Team Principal: Ross Brawn
Technical Director: Bob Bell
Race Engineer Car 7: Mark Slade
Race Engineer Car 8: Tony Ross

Stats as of end 2010

First Entered 2010
Races Entered 19
Race Wins 0
Pole Positions 0
Fastest Laps 0
Driver World Championships 0
Constructor World Championships 0

Team History

The Mercedes team history splits into two parts. In 1954 the famous pre-war Silver Arrows entered the F1 world championship and recorded a 1-2 at their first race. Fangio went on to win the drivers championship that year and again in 1955. Mercedes withdrew at the end of the 1955 season after the accident which killed 80 spectators at Le Mans which involved one of their cars.

The current team entered F1 in 2010 after Mercedes bought Brawn Grand Prix. Brawn Grand Prix, winners of the Drivers Championship, with Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.

Prior to the Honda takeover in 2006 the team had raced under the name of British America racing which had acquired the assets and race entry of the Tyrrell F1 team in 1999. BAR competed in 118 races without a single victory. The high points for the team were 2 pole positions (both for Button – San Marino 2004 and Canada 2005) and 2nd in the constructors championship in 2004.

Tyrrell were amongst the most successful private F1 teams taking part in 463 Grands Prix, scoring 33 victories and 3 Drivers Championships, all with Jackie Stewart.

2010

Having replaced Button and Barrichello with Nico Rosberg and 7 times WDC Michael Schumacher many expected great things of the new Mercedes team in 2010 but they had an indifferent season.

Rosberg managed 3 podiums for the team but Schumacher, coming back from retirement, struggled with the new cars, tyres and limited testing under the revised regulations. The team finished 4th in the Constructors Championship.

2011

For 2011 Mercedes retain the same driver line up and are hoping for better things from their MGP W02 chassis.
 
I bet Norbert Haug's happy.

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Bro-

I never give too much weight to pronouncements such as Brawn's. There is money and there is money. It is quite possible that the up-front money was virtually identical. However, nobody but the parties involved know about such things as performance bonuses or even the possibilty of a partial-team-ownership deal. When it come to Formula 1 finances, I never take anything at face value.
 
I reckon his enquiries will go like this

NL: hi contact. any chance of Newy coming over to Merc?
Contact: After his experience with Mclaren? not a chance
NL: Good! We didn't want him anyway. Its his fault F1 is not as good as it was in my day infact.......
Contact: (hangs up phone)


Lauda is just talking big to justify his new position.
 
I've been reading a few interesting things lately related to Mercedes.
There are grumblings and suggestions that there are too many chiefs which is resulting in a blurring of boundaries and a lack of responsibility.
Or at least, it's not clear who is responsible when something goes wrong with a particular area.

Brawn hasn't seemed too pleased lately either. No doubt he's not in the happy place he was when he owned the Brawn team outright and now he has a board and shareholders to satisfy.
The lack of results and real progress in three years can't be going down too well.

I wouldn't be too surprised if Brawn stepped down/is pushed out in the not too distant future.

Here's a small item on Mercedes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/19941812
 
Brogan - If Lewis has been smart in his contract negotiations, then I can't see that happening for a few years, but I suppose you never know. If Ross did step down, where would that leave Lewis?
 
I would have thought if Lewis was smart in his negotiations, there would be performance clauses, but Iwould not tie these to a particular person, in the event that the one person is the issue.
 
Would it make much difference if he did leave? Would it in fact benefit the team?

The team is solidly mired in the mid field and shows no signs of improving.
Perhaps a change of leadership is overdue?
 
Yeah, but you've got to remember that the team doing the negotiating do not have the experience with regards to F1 drivers contracts..
 
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