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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[Greenlantern101]

I don't think so. He is Finnish. There is something wrong with them. In a good way.

 

[RasputinLives]

He had had team mate run ins before. Big time ranted at the team when Maldonado played up.

 

[Il_leone]

Bottas ' ultimate potential is still questioned so throwing him against Hamilton we can find out for sure whether he is a very good driver or in the top echelon

It took him a while to blow away Massa but he finally did and there is still suspect about his racecraft especially when Williams had chances to win in the last two seasons

 

[Titch]

I don't think he's the best choice.

 

[Il_leone]

That is because there are now better alternatives which require a lot of money and haggling with the rival teams something Toto is not prepared to do because potentially it could upset the team preparation for next season

 

[teabagyokel]

Bottas is without a doubt the best choice. We know that he's a very solid racer, we know that he's got a decent turn of pace in qualifying, we know he won't break the suspension too often. So we know he's good enough to be a number 2 who can maintain that second place.

The question is whether he can challenge Hamilton. Well (from Mercedes point of view) if he can, great, loads of exposure; if he can't, great, they've still got Hamilton and he's still extremely capable of scoring very useful points for the team.

 

[Il_leone]

teabagyokel If Bottas can't then they can promote either Ocon (much to RasputinLives delight) or Wehrlein who I think is overrated or they could lure one of the Red Bull drivers or even go for Vettel has been mentioned seeing his contract is up with Ferrari

So the silly season for 2018 is going to be very open

 

[teabagyokel]

Il_leone - That's part of the beauty of it. No need to give him a long-term contract. He's managed by Wolff anyway. And no œuf sur le visage if it all goes wrong as they can just say the plan was always HAM/ROS.

 

[gethinceri]

Le visage teabagyokel.
1/2 hour detention.

 

[Greenlantern101]

Lewis would destroy Vettel. Dan showed that in clear terms. He is over rated.

 

[RasputinLives]

teabagyokel If Bottas can't then they can promote either Ocon (much to RasputinLives delight)

It will only be too my delight if they pick Ocon first and get my £120 winnings! Although technically it says on the betting slip "who will be Lewis Hamilton's team-mate in 2017?". If Bottas is injured for a race and Ocon steps in, or if Hamilton swaps with Perez to Force India mid-season, do the bookies still have to pay out?

 

[teabagyokel]

I doubt it.

 

[RasputinLives]

What if they both do Le Mans together? seems a poorly worded bet by Ladbrookes to me.

Edit* What about race of champions!

 

[teabagyokel]

Or they could play FIFA in the Mercedes motorhome?

Reminds me of the guy who handwrote LOrient on a football betting slip, then attempted to claim of there was a win by Leyton Orient or Lorient. Didn't stick.

 

[siffert_fan]

Lewis would destroy Vettel. Dan showed that in clear terms. He is over rated.

Based on what? Vettel has 4 championships, Lewis has 3, two in the most dominant car F1 has ever seen, and he didn't exactly destroy NR in the same car, and I have never heard NR be described as a great.

 

[Greenlantern101]

The only real basis we have is team mates. Nico was much better than Schumacher. Nico was better than Webber. Vettel was better than webber. Dan was much better than Vettel. Lewis was better than Nico.

Now we need Lewis vs Dan in the same team. The rest is sorted.

 

[Titch]

My head hurts

 

[Il_leone]

Record against world champions

Hamilton - beaten 2 defending world champions
Vettel - beaten 1 world champion who is deemed to be a No 2 at Ferrari

Based on this season's meltdown by Vettel he would have an even harder time beating Hamilton and putting up with what Rosberg has gone through the last 3 seasons

the accusation that Red Bull always favoured Vettel over Webber and only when Ricciardo was promoted and treated as equal did Vettel really struggle

 

[Il_leone]

Rumours are Bottas has signed for Merc according to Autobild

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives Better find out remember when Lampard scored the goal that was over the line but never counted .. the bookies paid out so you can argue that