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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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.

 

[The Pits]

I would point out that Reynard had some success in motorsport outside F1, but less inside F1. If you are comparing Mercedes F1 to the Reynard F1 dabblings, I would suggest that Reynard has had more success (excluding the earlier Mercedes incarnation obv)

I believe that there are many employed at Brackley who have been there for many years, indeed, the chap who was in charge of designing the rear wing is the same chap as designed the Brawn rear wing, and the BAR rear wing prior to the Honda days, having avoided the redundancies in 2009. I know of several others. As in most takeovers, the core remains intact, there have been changes, including many top people being introduced, but the core of the team I believe remains considerably more than a skeleton of the earlier team.

 

[racecub]

I know Adrian had success outside F1, it's why I said I have huge admiration for him. I used to know him very well and went to some races with him, during his F3000 days and when he was designing the F1 car for Keegan. Then he went to America and was very successful there. But I think Mercedes is a whole different ball game. I know current Mercedes f1 is only three years old but it has the might of a global name behind it and a rich history of successful Motorsport to rival the best. Some employees may remain from the old regime but, it's a different team, only just completed as Brawn wants it.

 

[The Artist.....]

racecub
I have one word for you... Honda

They have just as (if not more) illustrious a history as mercedes, yet couldn't make the brackley team functional- at least not without spending vast resources, which Mercedes have shown no evidence of wanting to do in their time in f1, and since they are restricted by the resource restriction agreement, I have no confidence they ever will!

Furthermore; BAR had just about the biggest budget in f1 (save Ferrari) when they entered- and couldn't make it work! They had the full backing of a global tobacco manufacturer - who (likely) had more money than mercedes!

 

[ExtremeNinja]

The Artist.....

Come on mate. Look at Apple's history and now they are the most valuable company in the world. You have made your point. There is no need to keep repeating it just because some people disagree with you. It's beginning to sound like a bit of a crusade.

 

[The Pits]

The one thing that niggles me, is that the 2010 Mercedes was a conservative effort, ostensibly to ensure the survival of the team past 2009, Brawn said so himself, and was therefore built on a budget, and with the ability to fund it for the racing season.

Since then, the team have gone on to win a race, but other than that, they do not seem to be closing up on the opposition. There were high hopes for this season, however, these do not seem to have really borne the results which the rhetoric would lead us to believe, likewise the updates in season.

The noise coming out of Brackley now, regarding next years car seems to me to be the same as last year. I may be being cynical, but I am really not sure next year will be a lot better.

That said, a new driver on board could work wonders, and help to lift the team, so anything can happen!

 

[Brogan]

The failure to develop the rear end and take advantage of the current in favour tech, which is the Coandă effect, is the main reason for Mercedes' slide down the rankings.

Today the team has confirmed that they won't be racing with the DDRS for the remainder of the season and may ditch it for next.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/103890

 

[The Pits]

Similar to McLaren not taking up the high nose concept early enough? At least, the criticism that was levelled at McLaren over that point would seem to apply also.

I recall that McLaren also had issues getting the EBD working, again a parallel.

I'm really not sure about Mercedes, they are almost like a roast beef trifle, lots of great ingredients, but not really applied in the right way. I do hope I am wrong, as a 4 way fight at the top would really spice things up.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Today the team has confirmed that they won't be racing with the DDRS for the remainder of the season and may ditch it for next.

This tells me that they are fully concentrated on 2013. I think the DDRS still gives them an advantage over not having it, but it does not allow them to test effectively for next year. Good news.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Ah. Hang on. That's not the front wing thingy is it?

 

[Viscount]

The media really need to start using different names for related developments otherwise it's quite misleading. They're still using the 'DDRS' they started the season with which activates when they use DRS (which will be banned in 2013 anyway), but they're dropping the passive system that's basically an 'F-duct' they've been developing during the season.

 

[Slyboogy]

Basically what Lotus was developing is what Mercedes is dropping.

 

[teabagyokel]

The Artist..... - I'm afraid there's one thing that makes me question the carry-over of a teams' form through ownership changes. Jaguar.

However, the crux of what you are saying is right; there must be people at Mercedes who are complicit in the Earth Car.

 

[jez101]

Similar to McLaren not taking up the high nose concept early enough? At least, the criticism that was levelled at McLaren over that point would seem to apply also.

I recall that McLaren also had issues getting the EBD working, again a parallel.

I think the McLaren nose and Merc coanda exhausts are a good parallel. Both teams started the season with sub optimal designs, but McLaren managed to catch up by Barcelona (race 5) whereas Merc took the whole summer (race 14-15?) to get with the programme. Both had to manage compromises fitting what they missed in with the core concept of the car. McLaren did a much better job, bit the bullet and did so quickly.

You could level the same accusation that Lotus also took too long to bring the exhausts up to spec, but they are not a manufacturer, and to be fair, found that their original design was at least bringing different benefits. Merc just seems to have been asleep.

 

[racecub]

Hope they wake up over winter!

 

[FB]

I get the feeling Lewis Hamilton's arrival will have a very positive impact on the team. He's hungry for success and, I'm sure, will push as hard as he can to keep things moving from an R&D perspective based on his experience at McLaren. Are Mercedes still in the RRA? Might explain more than abut their season than our overwhelming opinion which appears to be that they sort of gave up BMW style.

 

[The Artist.....]

FB - yes Mercedes are still in the RRA - I believe it's one of the conditions of membership of FOTA.... Ferrari and Red Bull, however, are not members...

 

[FB]

Which, probably, explains a lot.

 

[The Pits]

I think the RRA is legally binding, and applies to all teams on the grid, not just FOTA, although there are ways around it. apparently.

 

[The Artist.....]

- Yes - I believe the ways around it are as follows:
1. Leave FOTA.
2. Have a parent company (e.g. Red Bull technologies) which spends vast amounts (e.g. $300 million) of money on R&D
3. Have the race team (e.g. Red Bull Racing) purchase the R&D from Red Bull technologies for a knock-down price (e.g. $1)
4. Sail a giant barge through the resource agreement - as Red Bull Racing have spent next to nothing

This is the same technique as various providers of public services are reported to have done, but in reverse!

 

[The Pits]

As I understand, leaving FOTA does not mean that the RRA no longer applies, so Red Bull, STR, Ferrari and Sauber are still bound by the conditions of the RRA, although the points you make were almost certainly being taken advantage of.