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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[Bill Boddy]

But the quote makes it look like he thinks that he is the first to notice this.

 

[RickD]

Rocket Science is easy, its Rocket Engineering that the real pig..

 

[racecub]

It's been suggested that Mercedes went for pole to impress Stuttgart and grab the headlines, but that isn't the case. They had the car set up for the race and were working on race pace through the practise sessions. They weren't expecting pole.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107404
That is one fast car. A fast car with big issues on a full load and these tyres. Lets hope they hit on what's causing it....soon. I want something to cheer about at Silverstone!

And note to Pirelli, it'd be nice if we had a race, regardless of whether Merc get sorted.

 

[RasputinLives]

Why you sending the note to Pirelli? They are just doing exactly what they've been asked to do.

If that Merc was set up for race pace they set something up seriously wrong. As for it being a quick car it reminds me of the 1989 Ferrari whuch was an amazingly quick car that won nearly every race it finished. Unfourtunatly it didn't finish very many.

Having a fast car and being the fastest over one lap has never been what its all about in F1 its always been about making sure ypu have the right combination of speed, reliability, tactical nounce and restraint to complete the distance and acheive the result. Thats racing (and why I don't believe in points for quali) and hopefully Merc can sort out their issues even if it means sacrificing some speed. A third row start and a podium is far better than a front row start and a 12th, Just ask Kimi.

 

[racecub]

The note to Pirelli was because they've been asked to provide tyres that will last about 20 laps and result in 2 or 3 stops. They haven't done that. And I don't think the spec asked for delaminations every race affecting drivers chances to do well. As the sole tyre supplier they must have the opportunity to exert some pressure on the FIA or loony Ecclestone if they are the powers that are asking for these tyres;also they have a responsibility to do so. This is tarnishing their own reputation as a tyre maker, it's killing racing and surely is against the ethos of the most prestigious racing series. They were going round 3 seconds off the GP2 quali place for goodness sake!
But back to Mercedes. I think they would gladly give up some one lap low fuel speed to be competitive in the race, it's what they were trying to do at the weekend.

 

[RasputinLives]

I meant mechanically not by lifting off through fast corners.

As for Pirreli. You have your (often shouted) view and I have mine. I don't think Pirreli are to blame for the current format of racing I think they are doing what they were asked to do. As for delaminations I don't know why its a shock. If a tyre is designed to degrade then delaminations are always going to be a risk.

By the way I do suspect by the time we get to just after half way through the season the teams will have figured out how to set their cars up to suite the tyre and use the speed they claim to have. They all did last year so I'm sure they will this. However even when they do it will still be Mercs fundamental problem. Mercs eating tyres like Pacman is not a Pirreli issue.

Merc are just thankful we don't go back to the no tyre change rule!

 

[racecub]

I didn't mean by lifting off round corners either

 

[RasputinLives]

IMO Merc slipped so far down because they were obssessed with their drivers saving tyres even telling Lewis to lift through corners "like Nico". I think if they'd accepted they were going to eat through tyres and just gone for the 'We're doing more stops but try and make the time up pace wise" they'd have slipped down but not as far.

So my point is that Merc need to figure out why the car is chewing the tyres up and not try to solve it by telling their drivers to compromise. I'm sure Kewis and his fanbase would have been much happier going full pelt and having to change the tyres every ten laps than driving slow to make them last 20. You work with the tools you have even if that tool is flawed!

 

[racecub]

I fully accept what you say regarding Mercedes, I agree.
But if the tools are flawed they need fixing too, this isn't good enough, there's enough money in the business not to be dishing out flawed tools.

 

[Lewywo4]

This is tarnishing their own reputation as a tyre maker, it's killing racing and surely is against the ethos of the most prestigious racing series. They were going round 3 seconds off the GP2 quali place for goodness sake!
.

racecub....It looks as though that Martin Brundle would seem to agree with you, when he complained by saying, " every time we went on board with Fernando Alonso or Kimi Raikkonen. I felt I could drive that fast ".... and...." we've go to do something."

 

[downforce]

Mercedes say that having Kubica in the simulator is helping them: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/107433

This is surely just a headline?

They have 2 drivers who are more experienced than Kubica and have tested in every test and raced every race since their debuts and who also drive the car in real life on a consistant basis.

So in what specific way could "having Kubica in the simulator" be helping them?

Certainly isn't doing much for their race pace.

 

[Mephistopheles]

No it certainly isn't rocket science, rocket science is a piece of piss compared aerodynamics...

 

[Mephistopheles]

But the quote makes it look like he thinks that he is the first to notice this.

No the quote makes it look like he thinks it is an easy fix when it isn't, far from it, if it were then Merc wouldn't have been plagued with it for the last three years....

In fact it was a very naive thing for him to say...

 

[Brogan]

Well if Marussia and Caterham can do it...

 

[downforce]

No the quote makes it look like it is an easy fix when it isn't, far from it....

Yes it is. Grab some 2010 bridgestones and rebrand them to make them identical to the 2013 Pirelli's. Then put the massively improved race performance down to Hamiltons technical input. Job done!

 

[Mephistopheles]

Well if Marussia and Caterham can do it...

Those teams don't lack technical know how they just lack money and anyway they are so slow they would be hard put to wear out a set of tyres let alone know they had a problem with them..

 

[Brogan]

Spain fastest laps:
Jenson Button - McLaren-Mercedes, 1:27.957
Max Chilton - Marussia-Cosworth, 1:28.011

 

[Mephistopheles]

Anyway the whole point is moot at the moment until we see how the Merc behaves on the new rubber in Canada...

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Did Button three stop the race? Most people four stopped so would have been able to have better overall pace. That could partially account for the small gap.

 

[Brogan]

My point is, if Marussia and Caterham and eight other teams can design a car which doesn't eat the tyres, then so can Mercedes.

If the current team aren't up to it (and three years would seem to show that to be the case) then get rid of them and start again.