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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[teabagyokel]

Hmmm...

You may be reading a little too much into it - Rosberg was an old karting team-mate, Haug was around at McLaren when Hamilton started at the team - but I would agree that Mercedes is a possible option for Hamilton.

 

[RasputinLives]

Yes probably but suddenly Lewis has a Grand Prix winning team where he has connections at and is well liked where as previously if he was looking round for a race winning car he other than Mclaren he had very little in the way of options.

I'm pretty sure Merc would snap him up

 

[Fenderman]

... and he has already given Mercedes the cudos of race wins, podiums and a championship using their engines.

 

[Il_leone]

Anyone think that Mercs win yesterday has finally given Lewis Hamilton an option should he want to leave Mclaren? Was noticable that he was very pally with Hauge and Rosberg.

It'll certanly give him leverage in contract negotiations.

A straight swap with Nico who Mclaren have wanted in the past is the solution

A bit more negotiation leverage but can you really see the Mercedes bosses having Hamilton destroy their favoured son Schumacher then ? I don;t think the big wigs at Stuttgart want that happening. Should Hamilton join Schumacher might pack it in to avoid humiliation

Norbert from his time working with Mclaren knows Hamilton well but I've always said Mercedes like to see German drivers win in their car or at least someone they backed to do it so again I come to your favourite driver Di Resta who Norbert also likes

a sub plot to this is the battle of the Force India drivers who now know the Mercedes car is a genuine race winner ... this week Di Resta outperformed Hulkenberg

The carrot has been truly dangled out for both of them to get into the team possibly next year

 

[teabagyokel]

I believe that Mercedes just want to win. They never forced a German on McLaren, did they?

 

[RasputinLives]

Fact. Mclaren have never had a German driver in their entire history.

 

[teabagyokel]

Jochen Mass?

 

[RasputinLives]

Just show me up when I'm trying to back up your point TBY

Ok apart from Mass - although technically he's Bavarian!

 

[teabagyokel]

Anyway, it is irrelevant since that was long before Mercedes.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Ross Brawn missing Spain due to illness.

Bob Bell will be in charge this weekend.

 

[racecub]

If anyone can get hold of a copy of autosport Mark Hughes column is about Bernie leaving Mercedes out of the extra money he's handing out to Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. Its an excellent article but Im sorry I cant post because the online version cant be copied and i think its not allowed anyway. He is scathing about the treatment of Mercedes and the way they have been omitted.He doesnt hold back on the sarcasm.
A little excerpt from it
"It seems Mercedes long and ilustrious history counts for little when it comes to divvying up Formula 1's wealth. What's it done wrong? First off, it's not called Ferrari......."
And so he goes on. Bernie comes over as corrupt and Ferrari dont come out too well either. Apparantly they still have the veto. I thought that had gone.
Of the veto he says
" essentially the teams compete against each other, but only pending the approval of one team in particular. You might think that was an outrageous tilting olf the field, that it implied the others were just there to provide some noise for Ferrari's championship, but of course you'd be wrong and terribly cynical; its simply that Ferrari is synonymous with the sport's history, silly."

He goes on to show exactly how much Mercedes have achieved and how their involvement in motorsport predates Ferrari's.
A great read I recommend it.

I hope ive posted this in the right place, please move it if it needs to be elsewhere.

 

[Galahad]

Thanks, I was going to comment on that too - apparently Ferrari still have the rules veto, and yet McLaren and Red Bull (et al) have signed up anyway. Extraordinary. Hats off to Mercedes for holding out, but I don't think it will do them any good.

 

[FB]

Is this to sign the next Concorde agreement? Looks like a 22 car grid next year then...

In terms of F1 history, there really isn't any comparison between Ferrari and Mercedes really is there?

 

[RasputinLives]

I think Merc will back down and sign eventually. Bernie will find a way for them to do so and look like they've won whilst really they'll have backed down completely.

Speaking of the number of cars on the grid is the new concorde agreement going to allow for the adding of the mythical 13th team thats always being promised?

I reckon Bernie is holding that spot for an American project after the failue of USF1. Would make sense with 2 GPS being set to be held there. Surprised he's not having a quite work with Mr Penske - theres a name that would attract americans to watch F1

 

[siffert_fan]

Rasputin,

I have to say, your impression of Bernie is 180 degrees opposite of mine. I have always felt that he would rather have an enema with a fire hose than have Americans in F1. It appeared to me that he didn't miss a single opportunity to sink USF1 (and they gave him plenty of opportunities), and the only reason F1 is going to race in the U.S. is because the teams and their sponsors demand it.

I can't see Penske getting involved in F1 at the moment. Although a great admirer of his, it has always seemed to me that a large percentage of his wins have been the result of being able to hugely outspend the other teams (for instance, his CanAm budget with Porsche was rumoured to be $2 million for a 1 car effort, while the dominant 2 car McLaren team budget was supposedly only a half-million dollars). I have to add though, that I would dearly love to see him make the attempt.
'
The main question I have is, if Mercedes get angry and leave F1 as a team, would they also cease to supply engines to other squads? That would be serious.

 

[Olivier]

siffert_fan

I really don't know what goes on Bernie's mind when it comes to racing in North America and US particularly, but I think he clearly understands what a good business it is for the circus to go to America. My take is that he follows the money not his own feelings.

 

[Brogan]

Ross Brawn confirmed today that they still haven't started contract negotiations with Michael Schumacher.

Does anyone else think they are stalling, waiting to see what happens with Lewis Hamilton?

 

[Jos the Boss]

Nope, I don't see Schumi at Mclaren In all seriousness, I think Hamilton will stay with Mclaren for 1 more season despite the result and then potentiallty move

 

[Jen]

Possibly - but more likely waiting to see if Schumacher can up his game.

 

[Il_leone]

Has Nico Rosberg got a buy out clause in his contract?

No one seems to mention .. Autosport (I know RasputinLives would loathe them) covered an article asking the dilemma Di Resta is facing waiting in the wings for Mercedes knowing Force India won't improve further but can't do anything until Schumacher decides or hold for a Mclaren drive with less certainty about its choice of turbo engine

Yes Di Resta is in a situation that Heidfeld was in 10 years ago