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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[Il_leone]

I would probably agree with that, since Mercedes are still there and Marlboro went quite swiftly out the door, despite a 20 year "partnership", and merging McLaren and Project 4 in the first place!

Marlboro did not have a problem with Brundle and Hakkinen for 1994...I think rumours surfaced that Mclaren were trying to sign Prost in 1994 but Williams told them if they did they would have to compensate them because Prost retired on his own accord whilst still under contract

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

For the first time in about 14 years Marlboro McLaren were left without a Grand Prix winner to their name.

They had been used to having Watson, Lauda, Prost, Rosberg, Senna, Berger in their line up from 1980 to 1993...and then were left with Hakkinen.

Somewhere along the line, Marlboro tied it's money to driver experience. They had years where they not only had a World Champion in the car but TWO World Champions (1986, 1989)...so, all of a sudden, they had two drivers without any winning pedigree.

You can't blame Mercedes only for hiring Mansell.

 

[Il_leone]

Mclaren sponsors wanting a " World champion"

So Prost retired, Senna deceased , Schumacher contracted to Benetton so only Mansell left despite his age but Mercedes would have made their views clear about joining Mclaren and ditching Sauber

I find it odd now that after coming back into F1 Mercedes thought Sauber was not big enough to own outright to compete in F1 then they jump ship to Mclaren who they have success as front runners not many titles it has to be said and were trying hard to take more control of the team and were thwarted by Ron's shrewd management.

Then Brawn comes along and allows them to get out and buy them cheaply...it makes you wonder why they did not stick with Sauber in the first place after all if all they ended up with was buying the small team that was formerly Tyrell !

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

Marlboro did not have a problem with Brundle and Hakkinen for 1994...

Well, how do you know that?

All kinds of stuff was happening at McLaren and with McLaren trying to keep Senna. Customer Ford engines were on their way out. Possible Lamborghini engines were being talked about. Peugeot engines, Mercedes engines. None of us have the contracts.

 

[Il_leone]

Well, how do you know that?

All kinds of stuff was happening at McLaren and with McLaren trying to keep Senna. Customer Ford engines were on their way out. Possible Lamborghini engines were being talked about. Peugeot engines, Mercedes engines. None of us have the contracts.

Maybe I should have added their dream plan- Marlboro was for Andretti to be an F1 star but he bottled it and went packing back to USA..it did not help when he spent the winter at home rather than going testing back in 1993 and he would rather fly from USA to every race than stay in Europe with the team

I think after the Andretti experience Ron did not dare try another Indycar driver - Paul Tracey was talked off

 

[teabagyokel]

I find it odd now that after coming back into F1 Mercedes thought Sauber was not big enough to own outright to compete in F1

Well, with hindsight we know that a German car manufacturer owning Sauber could produce a very reasonable level of success; BMW conceivably could have gone for the title in 2008, and may well have recovered for 2010 had they entered.

I can just imagine if you're chosing between throwing your lot in with the rookie (Peter Sauber) or the experienced bunch of men who not too long ago were dominating (MP4) then Mercedes probably thought that they could pay less for more exposure with McLaren. Either that or they were impressed/nonplussed at Ron's pitch!

 

[Il_leone]

Well, with hindsight we know that a German car manufacturer owning Sauber could produce a very reasonable level of success; BMW conceivably could have gone for the title in 2008, and may well have recovered for 2010 had they entered.

I can just imagine if you're chosing between throwing your lot in with the rookie (Peter Sauber) or the experienced bunch of men who not too long ago were dominating (MP4) then Mercedes probably thought that they could pay less for more exposure with McLaren. Either that or they were impressed/nonplussed at Ron's pitch!

But it was not like Sauber was not experienced after all he ran the sportscar team with Mercedes which was successful and was grooming youngsters like Frentzn, Schumacher and Wendlinger in the cars.

Towards the end of 1994 Frentzen was beginning to show his speed in getting the car in the top 6 so surely they should have stuck with them for continuity

 

[FB]

I don't want to be a grumpy pants, and I know this is sort of related to Mercedes but it's more about McLaren really isn't it so can you take the discussion there please.

Ta

FB

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Did anyone else here really enjoy Nico Rosberg showing Michael Schumacher who was boss in the Grand Prix last Sunday on the first lap?

 

[Slyboogy]

Did anyone else here really enjoy Nico Rosberg showing Michael Schumacher who was boss in the Grand Prix last Sunday on the first lap?

Nah not really.

Mainly because I just like Schumacher better

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Nah not really.

Mainly because I just like Schumacher better

. I think Nico's better now .

 

[Slyboogy]

. I think Nico's better now .

Did he have a cold before?

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Did he have a cold before?

Yeah very much so.

 

[Jos the Boss]

Schumi>Rosberg<Schumi
However Rosberg's good aswell!

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Schumi>Rosberg<Schumi
However Rosberg's good aswell!

Yeah i agree with that. I just prefer Nico and i'm probably one of a number of bias people on this forum and aren't afraid to admit who my favourites are.

 

[Jos the Boss]

Yeah i agree with that. I just prefer Nico and i'm probably one of a number of bias people on this forum and aren't afraid to admit who my favourites are.

If I'm not the most biased Schumi supporter I need some work!

 

[Clinton]

Did anyone else here really enjoy Nico Rosberg showing Michael Schumacher who was boss in the Grand Prix last Sunday on the first lap?

I'm a Schumacher fan, but I did enjoy that battle and thought it was the highlight of the race.

I was also impressed by Nico's attitude in his interview - no bitching about his team mate defending too hard. He did his talking on track.

 

[Slyboogy]

Yeah very much so.

Time for him to get a flu jab!

Yes, I myself enjoyed the battle but I would have preferred the 'Maestro' to have won that one

 

[Il_leone]

Did anyone else here really enjoy Nico Rosberg showing Michael Schumacher who was boss in the Grand Prix last Sunday on the first lap?

that was an impressive pass by Nico and is a reminder he deserves credit...

I had not realise Schumacher had Jock Clear as his race engineer since August which explains the upturn in race pace. Jock was previously Nico's engineer

 

[Slyboogy]

that was an impressive pass by Nico and is a reminder he deserves credit...

I had not realise Schumacher had Jock Clear as his race engineer since August which explains the upturn in race pace. Jock was previously Nico's engineer

Schumacher's been on the pace from Spain onwards, which was way back in May.