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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[sushifiesta]

If Merecedes' form from today continues they will be serious contenders for the constructors and have an outside chance of the WDC as well. It looked like they were matching the race pace of the Red Bulls and they were faster in qualifying.

 

[Koffindodger]

Yeah I agree, but only if they can continue to carry out tests between races

 

[Jos the Boss]

If Lewis won, would he have been in the Championship hunt?

 

[Fenderman]

It sure would have helped with half a season yet to go ...

 

[Brogan]

Still, a lucky but impressive win for Mercedes today.

Why lucky?

 

[Josh]

Well I said lucky because Vettel's gearbox broke and that promoted Rosberg, but I realized after I posted that they were very unlucky to lose their pretty much guaranteed win with Hamilton so they actually weren't lucky at all but then again they were in a way... If you know what I mean.

 

[RasputinLives]

I don't think the win with Lewis was a certainty as I think Vettel would have pushed him and prob used the undercut.

Would have been a good one to watch. Still thems the breaks. You pays your money you takes your choc ice.

 

[Bill Boddy]

It is difficult to see whether or not Mercedes have come to grips with their tyre fall-off problem or not. Due to the safety cars today no-one had to drive at the limit for a full stint, slow running is a great healer when it comes to hot tyres.

 

[KekeTheKing]

At least I won't have to hear any more comments about how Mercedes got off scot-free!

They just got royally screwed.

They followed protocol by participating in a fully cleared "Pirelli" test. Yet now they're being excluded from a four day "Team Test".

It's now a Net Loss for Merc.

 

[Dario Resta]

At least I won't have to hear any more comments about how Mercedes got off scot-free!

They just got royally screwed.

They followed protocol by participating in a fully cleared "Pirelli" test. Yet now they're being excluded from a four day "Team Test".

It's now a Net Loss for Merc.

Not a good idea to take on the FIA, regardless of where the blame lies.

 

[KekeTheKing]

People love to over dramatize Mercedes tire issues at the beginning of the season as well.

Hamilton was on the podium in two of the first 3 races. Not quite total shit were they?

The way some people talk you'd think they were out of the points completely.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Mercedes better collect a 1-2 in Germany, because after that they'll be back to playing catch-up again.

They'll arrive in Hungary being forced to run on tires they will have logged exactly 0 Km on. Sounds sensible

 

[FB]

They have 4 hours of testing on Friday and Saturday.

 

[KekeTheKing]

With the "No Shit, Sherlock" award of the day we have FB! Even though Saturday's hour is never used for "testing" purposes anyway.

Everybody else will be on hours 32-36, so I'm sure you can identify the discrepancy.

 

[FB]

I may have mistaken some sort of lunar eclipse for cars going round in circles on a Saturday morning at all the Grands Prix so far this year so may apologies for making such an error. Anywho, as you sow, so shall you reap. Mercedes have to accept the punishment their transgression of the rules has bought upon them.

 

[KekeTheKing]

But the "punishment" is no longer available. It's morphed into something completely outside the scope of the original "punishment".

I put punishment in quotes because it was merely an attempt by Mercedes to appease the gathering hordes. They were only reprimanded by the FIA. Everyone realized that Merc was imposing a "self-punishment".

As for Saturday's Hour. You know damn well that nobody is trying out new bits and tricks with qualifying quickly approaching. Mercedes will have to evaluate completely foreign rubber in two 1.5 hour sessions Friday.

 

[FB]

I hate to be pedantic KekeTheKing but the FIA judgement reads as follows:

Decision of the International Tribunal
The Tribunal, after having heard the parties and examined their submissions, decided that:

1. Mercedes be reprimanded;
2. Mercedes be suspended from participating in the forthcoming “three day young driver training test”;
3. Pirelli be reprimanded.

and rejected all other and further conclusions.

The scope of the Young Driver Test may have changed but Mercedes exclusion from it is still valid. You may not like it but there it is.

http://www.fia.com/international-tribunal-0

 

[KekeTheKing]

I don't mind a pedant. But anyway you slice it, a Four Day test with Race Drivers is completely incongruous with a "three day young driver training test".

Since there is no such thing as a "three day young driver training test" anymore, I fail to see how Mercedes' self imposed "punishment" would encompass the forthcoming test due to safety concerns.

In fact, Mercedes' exclusion from what is ostensibly a "safety" test flies in the face of it's intended purpose. Especially when you consider the fact the Merc encountered the exact problem they are trying to solve.

 

[The Pits]

Ferrari, McLaren and Torro Rosso will be there, so they should be able to get a good read on the safety side of things from that.

 

[KekeTheKing]

If the YDT was really and truly pre-empted on the basis of "safety grounds", then the FIA would have no alternative than to require all afflicted parties to participate. Otherwise, it's a rather transparent way for them to appease Red Bull and Ferrari and to put an end to the ridiculous amount of baseless innuendo circulating through the paddock.