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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[F1Brits_90]

Wouldn't surprise me because of how There stance changed on Bottas. As i said above its just like football you never accept the 1st offer, you always the 2nd 3rd down the line & accept the improved offer,

Symonds says Williams must not let Bottas go to Mercedes

Williams admits it may allow Mercedes to sign Bottas

 

[Il_leone]

Williams have always tried to play hard if you want to sign their drivers unless you're David Coulthard who already signed for Mclaren the following season when he thought Mansell was going to replace him

So yes Williams will want free engines to fully match and exceed the clauses if there are any for Bottas and get Paddy Lowe to start asap BUT once Williams agree on the deal there are going to be worse off if they don't find a suitable replacement for Bottas

 

[Incubus]

Nico was better than Webber.

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Urm, no... Webber outscored him and finshed ahead of him at every race they both completed in 2006.

 

[RasputinLives]

Dan was much better than Vettel.

But but both JEV and Kvyat beat Ricciardo so therefore Carlos Sainz is the best driver on the grid.

Plus Lewis got beat by Button and Button got beat by Fisichella. Fisichella got trounced at Ferrari by Kimi who just got beat by Vettel.

Vettel meanwhile got beat by Di Resta in the Euro F3 series and Di Resta got beat by Sutil. Sutil got beat by Gutteriez, who in turn got beat by Grosjean. Grosjean got beat by Alonso who in turn got beat by Hamilton. But Hamilton got beat by Rosberg who was beat by Webber who was thrashed by Vettel.

I'm so confused! It's almost like team mate comparison is not the best way to determine who the best driver is and we need to take in other factors.

 

[Il_leone]

F1Brits_90 Its called bargaining power of supplier and buyer

Mercedes bargaining power is as supplier of the engines mainly plus potentially Paddy Lowe as well to offer

Williams bargaining power is mainly Bottas has got a signed contract with a pay off out clause no doubt

 

[Il_leone]

According to some belief Vettel is on Merc wanted list for 2018 near the top and since Rosberg's unexpected retirement this is a lifeline for him to salvage his career one more time . Vettel is the most successful German driver on the grid and don't forget Hamilton's contract is also up so naturally Vettel based on statistics would be the next choice on their wanted list if they can't get one of the Red Bull drivers (including Sainz)

 

[Incubus]

I'm so confused! It's almost like team mate comparison is not the best way to determine who the best driver is and we need to take in other factors.

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Well it is the best way. As long as we remember that form, cars, age, experience and motivation levels can change from year to year.

 

[The Pits]

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Well it is the best way. As long as we remember that form, cars, age, experience and motivation levels can change from year to year.

Or simply pick those nuggets that support your view point.

 

[siffert_fan]

Il-leone

Since when does a 4-time WDC need to "salvage his career"?

 

[Il_leone]

siffert_fan Maybe not his career but certainly his reputation and stock value seeing his Ferrari dream is somewhat turning into a bit of a nightmare

Certainly on his last season form he would get thrashed by Hamilton the meerest wheel touch and he would be whining about over aggressive driving

 

[vintly]

I doubt Hamilton would have done much better than Vettel in the 2016 Ferrari, if at all. Vettel's stock is much higher in the paddock than it is out here in fan-land.

Apologies this has nothing to do with Mercedes.

 

[Il_leone]

vintly High in that he is a 4 time world champion and holds all the youngest driver records that are going to be probably be broken by Max Verstappen one day

Well seeing Vettel is now considered a Mercedes option then people have been waiting for him vs Hamilton as teammates as a comparison and judging by last season if Max Verstappen and Kyvat can irritate Vettel so much when it comes to wheel to wheel racing then Hamilton would knock the stuffing out of him when it came to wheel to wheel

 

[teabagyokel]

It's not as if Hamilton had a year where he was seriously off-colour and spent the whole year crashing into the same opponent, is it? Oh.

 

[Il_leone]

teabagyokel You mean Massa but I don't think we will see that Hamilton again as his intensity and focus has increased much more today then back then

Vettel spent most of last season blaming just about everyone but himself even Charlie Whiting for his problems and he did not put away Raikkonen like many expected convincingly

 

[Incubus]

Ah yes, Vettel must be really crap then mustn't he? Couldn't even utterly destroy a simple world champion...

 

[vintly]

vintly ...when it comes to wheel to wheel racing then Hamilton would knock the stuffing out of him

I'd happily bet against you on that.

 

[Il_leone]

vintly Like I said this season a faint touch or brush on that Ferrari this season seems to make Vettel go nuts over the radio be it Ricciardo, Verstappen or Kyvat so an aggressive racer like Hamilton who pushes the boundaries would win each time or 9/10 at least

 

[RasputinLives]

Il_leone hasn't Vettel spent most of the year fighting his way back through the field this year whilst Lewis has been leading from the front?

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives What about Hamilton in China, Belgium and Bahrain did not he not get sent to the back or start at the back to fight his way through

 

[RasputinLives]

What about it?