Mercedes AMG F1

Who will drive for Mercedes in Formula 1?

For the fourth year in a row, the Finn Valtteri Bottas and Briton Lewis Hamilton will be the driving duo for Mercedes. Hamilton now has six 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: The German held on to it after one title.

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 could have given Hamilton one title in 2008 and given the results of Mercedes until then, the move seemed a big mistake. Because if Michael Schumacher can't win in the car, why would a relatively young Briton? A question Lewis would answer from his first race at Mercedes.

Return of a giant

After years of absence, Mercedes returned to the grid of Formula 1 in 2010. Brawn GP, the team that drove (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 (which also used Mercedes engines) finished in the championship ahead of the German team.

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), the broom is pulled by the Mercedes Formula 1 team. 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 get back in front of Ferrari in the standings. The drivers' title and the constructors' title go to Red Bull (for the fourth time in a row), but Mercedes is 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: Once Lewis trumps Hamilton is enough for Rosberg.

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 five constructors' titles and five drivers' championships, to which the German team is only too eager to add a sixth in 2019: After all, that would also mean the sixth title for Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes F1 in 2020

After a sixth world title for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, Michael Schumacher's iconic record suddenly comes very close. Toto Wolff and consorts have clearly stated that a seventh title for Hamilton is the goal and with the last year under the current rules, there still seems to be one big chance with the dominant car.

However, the competition is fierce in the meantime, because where Ferrari and Red Bull Racing were often just short in recent years, by the end of 2019 the difference was suddenly zero. Expectations are high for a great championship.

Which engine does Mercedes drive?

As one of the four engine suppliers in Formula 1, Mercedes drives the self-developed Mercedes engine. In 2019, the engine was also supplied to customer teams Racing Point and Williams and was given the name 'F1 W10 EQ Power+'. A name that will most likely change, since team boss Toto Wolff said that the maximum has been squeezed out of this design in terms of power and reliability.