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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[Mephistopheles]

But I moan about everything that is what I do and lets face it Lewis has been the superior driver of the season and without his misfortunes I would have been absolutely correct...

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Which is what the counter argument was at the time of you saying it.

 

[soccerman17]

The engineers won this one. Just about anybody could win in this car. Not taking anything away from Hamilton and Rosberg, they've been spectacular when they haven't had to be.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Don't the engineers win every one ?? No one could win it in a shit car.

 

[teabagyokel]

Mephistopheles - How was it inevitable they'd win this championship? Unless the car was delivered to them by magic, they're the ones who've built it and made it happen.

They built the engine, too, so they're 100% responsible.

 

[FB]

This must help the people in Stuttgart feel a lot happier about the amount of money they have sunk in to this project. Apart from Ferrari and Alfa Romeo how many other engine and chassis manufacturers have won the constructors title? Actually, did Alfa ever win it?

Anyway, not bad for a manufacturer of buses and luxury saloon cars is it?

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Renault?

 

[sushifiesta]

Mercedes only need one more one-two to match, or two more to beat, the all time record for the number of one-twos in a season (currently held by McLaren with 10 in 1988). Similarly, they are two wins away from matching the record for total number of wins in a season (again McLaren in 1988, with 15 wins).

 

[Incubus]

Actually, did Alfa ever win it?

------------------------------

No but that might have something to do with the fact there was no constructor title until 1958.

 

[Incubus]

Actually hold on, FB didn't Vanwall and BRM run their own engines when they won it?

 

[teabagyokel]

Yes they did, Incubus. Oops!

 

[FB]

That's why I hesitated on Alfa as I couldn't remember when the Constructors title started. I'd forgotten about Team Enstone.

 

[siffert_fan]

sushifiesta

Those numbers show exactly how dominating this years Merc car has been, as their driver line-up doesn't bear mentioning in the same breath with the McLaren duo in 1988!

The worrisome thing is that Mercedes is refusing to allow the engine freeze to be lifted, so we will, in all likelihood see a replay of this boring season again next year.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Only if all the teams decides to sit on their hands over the winter and if the other Mercedes Teams decide to ignore the way the Mercedes team have integrated their engines this year, or if Mercedes again do a better job of their rivals... which I am fine with. In my opinion, this has been a very exciting season with much more excitement in store. The last race was boring, but I bet that the scores on the Race of the Year will score this season very highly.

 

[The Pits]

As is generally the case with stable regs, the team who finish the year ahead have a head start in to the following year. The gap will likely close, but it will still be there. That said, there will be developments off season, and I think that of all seasons recently, this off season sees teams with the biggest chance to catch up, but I do not expect a massive shake up in the pecking order.

Although for the first time in a long while, there is a major wild card in Honda

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I think Red Bull and Ferrari are the only teams to have demonstrated that over the last 15 years. Renault, McLaren, Ferrari and Brawn have been the other championship winning cars with McLaren finishing fastest at the end of a couple of seasons they didn't win. They have not always carried this through.

 

[soccerman17]

Don't the engineers win every one ?? No one could win it in a shit car.

Well yes, its always a team effort. But this one happened to be more heavily on the engineers than most.

 

[Johnny Carwash]

Seems a bit of a shame that Ross Brawn is not at Mercedes anymore as I'm sure he deserves some credit for there success that they have had this season.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Toto did at least acknowledge Ross's contributions when dishing out the thanks for the WCC victory.

 

[Tuscan1969]

Well I say job well done to everyone at Mercedes (apart from the guy's responsible for the engine gremlins in Australia and Hungary, the brakes in Canada and Germany and the Steering wheel in Singapore) .