Who will drive for Mercedes in Formula 1?
For the fifth year in a row, the Finn Valtteri Bottas and Brit Lewis Hamilton will be the driving duo for Mercedes. Hamilton now has seven titles in his pocket, Bottas still without. After the 2016 season, the Finn rushed over from Williams to replace the brand new world champion Nico Rosberg at Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, has been the regular face at Mercedes for years since he left McLaren after the 2012 season. The British team gave Hamilton one title in 2008 and given the results of Mercedes until then, the move seemed a big mistake. But it wasn't. Hamilton and Mercedes have dominated the world of Formula 1 for the best part of a decade.
Return of a giant
After years of absence, Mercedes returned to the grid of Formula 1 in 2010. Brawn GP, the team that competed in (and won) one season in the King's class after Honda pulled the plug on their factory team, was bought by Daimler and marked the return of the German engine supplier as a factory team in Formula 1. Although Brawn GP was taken over on almost all fronts (including team boss Ross Brawn), the first years in the new Formula 1 era were extremely difficult for Mercedes.
No matter how hard they worked at the factory in Brixworth (where the Mercedes engine is made) and those in Brackley, the drivers duo Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg didn't manage to impress in 2010. Schumacher had notoriously returned to Formula 1 to prove himself again, but the Mercedes factory team proved to be too challenging. Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren (who also used Mercedes engines) finished ahead of the German team in the championship.
In 2012 the tide started to turn slowly and it was Nico Rosberg who took the first victory for Mercedes since the return of the German manufacturer. The Grand Prix of China was won, where the results were not consistently good. Even the struggling Lotus managed to finish in front of Mercedes, but the first step in the right direction was taken.
Dominance in the V6 hybrid age
In the last year before major engine changes are made (from V8 to a hybrid V6), Mercedes Formula 1 team make an important change. Team boss Norbert Haug leaves and Toto Wolff arrives. Together with racing legend Niki Lauda, the two convince the 2008 world champion, Lewis Hamilton, to leave McLaren and join the Mercedes factory team. A decision that turns out to be worth gold.
With Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton at the helm and Toto Wolff looking over, Mercedes finally managed to beat Ferrari in the standings. The drivers' title and the constructors' title go to Red Bull (for the fourth time in a row), but Mercedes are back on the podium regularly. A line that will continue in the years after 2013 and heralds the dominance of Mercedes.
From the very first moment that the technical hybrid V6 is at the back of the Silver Arrow, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg take victory after victory. In 2014 and 2015 Hamilton takes his second and third titles and in 2016 it is Rosberg's turn to call himself world champion. The German leaves no stone unturned and resigns shortly afterwards.
With Valtteri Bottas as second driver in the team, it was Lewis Hamilton who also managed to win the title in 2017 and 2018: Unlike Rosberg, there is no competition from within the team at all. The Mercedes counter stands at seven constructors' titles and seven drivers' championships, to which the German team is only too eager to add an eighth in 2021.
Mercedes F1 continue to move forward
After a seventh world title for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, Michael Schumacher's record is matched. 2020 was perhaps Mercedes' most dominate season in Formula 1. They won 13 of the 17 Grands Prix and started from pole on 15 occasions.
Mercedes victory means they beat Ferrari's record set between 1999-2004 of most consecutive titles. They're also closing in on many records, including the most number of one-twos in qualifying.
At the end of the 2020 season, Mercedes opted to put George Russell in their car alongside Bottas. This was due to Hamilton's positive COVID-19 test.
Going in 2021, Mercedes are once again favourites. In the final year before the rule and regulation change, Red Bull Racing will be hunting them down hard. In the final part of the season, it looked as if Red Bull had closed the gap, but Mercedes are expected to take another step during the winter.
Which engine does Mercedes drive?
As one of the four engine suppliers in Formula 1, Mercedes drives the self-developed Mercedes engine. In 2021, the engine will also be supplied to customer teams Aston Martin and Williams.
