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Jenson Button, and the constructor’s championship in 2009, grew out of the ashes of Honda’s F1 entry after Honda had withdrawn from F1 at the end of the 2008 season after only a single Grand Prix win for Button in Hungary 2006.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

 

[RasputinLives]

I'm sure there are loads of articles about Wehrlein getting a drive in F1 again though

 

[cider_and_toast]

Good point about the hospitality. I remember when a well known, and very long running F1 magazine that just so happened to be owned by a company that just so happened to have done a lot of work with a well known satellite broadcasting company, published in big, bold letters on their front cover just how great it was that this well known satellite broadcasting company had won the rights to show F1.

 

[racecub]

Ocon wants the Merc drive. Not going to piss them off is he.

 

[vintly]

Ocon wants the Merc drive. Not going to piss them off is he.

Exactly. Ocon hasn't done anything foolish or weak. On the contrary he's ensured that his name at the bigger team – ie: the goal – remains intact and 'on the list'.

I don't see any cheating or bringing the sport into disrepute either, it's just the way it works. Lots of sports have teams that have been known to help or roll over for their bigger, more powerful 'allies' in the same sport. It may not be ideal but there's no use pretending it's not part of the game.

 

[F1Brits_90]

For me i thought for a few months. I thinj i even did it on 2018 predictions. ocon is 1st choice for that drive as a 3rd season is unlikely at force india, if they take Riccardio looks like that drive would be closed for a couple of years & i dont blame him

 

[Il_leone]

For Mercedes Ocon's natural progression is to Mercedes not Williams who are even slower than Force India. Force India aint going to keep him for a 3rd season unless they finally tell Perez to take his Mexican pesos elsewhere.

Mercedes want to promote George Russell or at least develop him so they will push hard to get into F1 through Force India for a start

 

[cider_and_toast]

That's it then. After first qually at the first race, once the top few teams are known, the other cars should be withdrawn from the remainder of the season. After all, it's only the front runners that matter. All the other drivers are only getting in the way. They should just bend over and take it from the big boys. That's modern sport for you.

 

[RasputinLives]

Sainz is still a Red Bull driver. Should he have got out of Verstappens way?

 

[teabagyokel]

The engine supply relationship is the other way round there...

That this is not a scandal is a scandal! In theory, ten teams are fighting for the championship. This isn’t OK!

 

[RasputinLives]

It made me laugh in commentary when ocon was closing Bottas down at the end and they were trying to get us all excited about it. We'd seen him pull over and let him through earlier and now you're trying to convince us he might do a do or die move at the end to get 5th? Get out of here.

 

[vintly]

That's it then. After first qually at the first race, once the top few teams are known, the other cars should.be withdrawn from the remainder of the season. After all, it's only the front runners that matter. All the other drivers are only getting in the way. They should just bend over and take it from the big boys. That's modern sport for you.

Why look at it in such black and white terms? If at a few points across the season, one or two of the smaller teams choose to toe the line and bend over as you say, does that mean that only the front-runners matter? It's exacerbated in F1 because it's so hard to break through to the top, and it takes so many people and so much money to be the best. But over time it can happen – Mercedes / Ferrari / Red Bull won't always be the top three.

 

[RasputinLives]

The thing you have to take into account is though that it's not a few points. It changes the whole race. How different would the race had been in Ocon put up a fight? Would Kimi have got past Hamilton? Maybe. Would Ocon have beaten Bottas home? Probably.

More importantly it takes away from us the fans. Everyone is saying the race was boring. Wouldn't seeing Hamilton and Bottas on fresh tyres trying to get past Ocon livened it up? I know I would have loved to see it just like we saw Max hassling the Renault's. But we were denied that so Merc could be sure of a result.

But hey what's my 30 quid a month I pay for entertainment compared to a few points for Lewis?

 

[RasputinLives]

Sorry for double post but just realised it's worse than that. It was arranged beforehand meaning Merc knew they could pit and it wouldn't be an issue. Hamilton's pitstop triggered everyone else's. Basically it changed the entire race.

 

[vintly]

That's a fair point RasputinLives, the race would have been better without Ocon giving way, I can't put any gloss on that.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Sorry for double post but just realised it's worse than that. It was arranged beforehand meaning Merc knew they could pit and it wouldn't be an issue. Hamilton's pitstop triggered everyone else's. Basically it changed the entire race.

If that really is the case then Mercedes should be up in front of the FIA and they, and Force India should lose all of their points for the weekend. That is without doubt, cheating.

I agree with a point made a few posts back, had this been another pair of teams then there would have been outrage from Mercedes. Look at all the chuffing and guffing surrounding the so called 'look-a-like' Sauber.

 

[RasputinLives]

It was said in Sky commentary by Brundle that Wolff was seen having a chat with Force India prior to the start of the race and then when the 'overtake' happened the comment from Croft was ''I wonder if that was what that pre race chat was about". Take that out the mix and it's still very odd that Merc would attempt an undercut knowing they'd come out behind Ocon....unless they knew it wouldn't be an issue.

Looks like a predetermined thing to me.

 

[teabagyokel]

The more you think about it, the more 'Nelsinho' it seems to become.

 

[RasputinLives]

Story won't get traction anywhere but on forums though. I have tried asking Martin Brundle about it on Twitter but doubt I'll get a response.

 

[F1Brits_90]

If proven could be pretty huge as it sort of match fixing. But is mercedes force india any different to ferrari sauber relationship for decades. Ie 2012 Malaysian gp But from drivers point of view. Because lets say their was no collusion & purely ocon decision

do you blame ocon. Because hes in f1 like the other 19 Drivers to win. But unfortunately unlike 15 yrs when i was just novice watching f1 as a 12yr old. If you were 4th even 5th best team like renault or BAR you on occasion battling for the odd win & 4/5 podiums over the season. But the field spread is so much with unfair money distribution. that you no longer get same opportunity & now force india been 4th best team for 4 seasons but had 1 chance at a win in 4 yrs. In a crazy race anyone couldve won

 

[RasputinLives]

McLaren and Williams didn't get punished for fixing the win at Jerez in 1997 so doubt they'll be any action here. It is an insult to racing fans though. Just remember it next time Toto Wolff talks about how they are committed to improving the 'show' for the fans.