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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[racecub]

Andyoak It's not about whether Hamilton can win every year, it's about why the mechanics were swapped.

RasputinLives no, Mercedes don't have to justify what they do, but as you said, "Part of leading a team is to make sure it's public facing image is that of harmony". Mercedes failed in that.

TR Two very good reasons for the switch. They failed royally If number one was the reason.

I can think of a third reason. They wanted the mechanics who had learnt Hamilton's way of working to take that to the other side of the garage. ( In the interest of coaching Rosberg, getting more out of him and thus benefitting Mercedes). I realise that third possible reason will go down like a lead balloon here, and had Mercedes intimated that was the reason, uproar would have ensued and Rosberg been undermined.
So yes, very good reasons why Mercedes couldn't go public with the whys and wherefors.

 

[The Pits]

I can think of many reasons why they would, many reasons why they would not say why they did, and i do know some of what goes on behind the scenes.

I would add that many of the issues may be completely unrelated to mechanics, more Brixworth. Engines are built and assigned, the mechanics are not allowed to do much to them at the track.

Also, Lewis has had issues every year. This year he was unfortunate as Nico had fewer. But i really do not see how a change to the mechanics has influenced anything, especially as even when he was completely new to the team he performed better than Nico, despite no one in the team being familiar with him, his ways of working, or his preferences. Last years team would know far more about his preferences than the team that first worked with him.

 

[siffert_fan]

Racecub

How about a fourth: one of the drivers is a pain to work with, so the mechanics and engineers needed a break?

The fact is, there could be myriad reasons for such a move, and none of them are the public's business. Do corporations have to explain every time there is a change in the boardroom? Why should this be any different?

 

[RasputinLives]

I think the mechanics so hated working with Rosberg that they begged to be switched to Lewis.

 

[Andyoak]

Or vice versa

 

[RasputinLives]

Why would anyone hate working with Lewis?

 

[Andyoak]

Having to listen to those demo tapes every day?

 

[Incubus]

You beat me to it Andyoak .

 

[marksawatsky]

I wish I could find the reference material but I distinctly remember an interview where it was stated that the reason for the mechanic swap between Lewis and Nico was that there were some loyalties forming on both sides for "their" driver instead of the team, so Mercedes decided to mix things up a little.

 

[Il_leone]

marksawatsky To stop internal warfare where sub teams form within the team to beat the other side of the garage

teabagyokel siffert_fan Bill Boddy Swapping engineers is not the only reason Hamilton lost the championshop but it all adds up to these extra tenths that makes the difference plus they will pass on knowledge about car set up , corner speed entry and braking etc

its just as bad deciding to give a car part like the only new wing from your car to your teammate without letting you know

I'd very much doubt Senna , Schumacher or Prost would have allowed such a situation to happen where their engineers are moved to the other side of the garage .

Why would anyone not want to work with Hamilton seeing he is triple world champion and the more successful driver at Mercedes? Would you not want to be part of the winning team?

If you think Hamilton is hard , Senna worked his engineers hard but neither were as bad as difficult as Jacques Villeneuve

I'll use an example from MotoGP , Tech 3 Yamaha team - James Toseland and Colin Edwards. Toseland wanted to swap engineers with Edwards and the management agreed to the swap..without telling Edwards. Edwards went ballistic and saw Toseland as being political and backstabbing and treated him more like a rival and from then one was very hostile to him as a teammate rather than the previously more open

I can see Edwards' view that using his teammate was using his own engineer to beat him even though Toseland did not see it that way

 

[Bill Boddy]

Il_leone the most important factor in car setup is the computer followed by the driver.

 

[Il_leone]

Bill Boddy You still need the engineer to follow your instruction / feedback and interpret what you want correctly to set up the car but it is a two way process

 

[FB]

Nice to see Niki has lost none of his subtlety Niki Lauda dismisses Ross Brawn Mercedes contribution

 

[Il_leone]

FB seems like their hatred or falling out from Ferrari days has spilled over when Brawn pretty much replaced Lauda

You can understand that Paddy Lowe was bought in to replace Ross Brawn who had his hand tied behind his back first by Norbert Haug and the board and then Toto and Niki which probably restricted their development ability

To say Ross Brawn did not contribute hmmm well was he not one of the owners who would have said yes to the pave the way for Mercedes to buy the team

Also Brawn were in a better position to be a front running team then Sauber was set up to when Mercedes tried to become a factory team initially

 

[gethinceri]

Niki can be a cock at times.

 

[siffert_fan]

And what does Niki think HE contributes to the team?

 

[Andyoak]

Everything

 

[Il_leone]

Good PR bull

For saying Nico Rosberg was unprofessional for quitting suddenly after negotiating a new contract a few months ago

Rosberg's response "At least I did not quit mid season being fed up driving around in circles"

 

[siffert_fan]

Brawn: Michael laid foundation for Ferrari and Mercedes | PlanetF1

 

[Il_leone]

Bottas, the safe and uninspired choice | PlanetF1

We'll find in a few days if it is him