Mercedes leaves Formula E: 'F1 is the most intense competition'

Mercedes is withdrawing from Formula E at the end of season eight. The German brand wants to focus more on Formula 1, where the brand enjoys even more attention and can better express what it wants.

Focus on F1

It was already in the air this weekend, but Mercedes has now officially confirmed it. Mercedes will finish next season in Formula E, but when the sport switches to the Gen3 car, Mercedes will quit. The focus will be more on Formula 1, according to Mercedes board member Markus Schäfer.

''In motorsport, Formula E has been a good driver for proving our expertise and establishing our Mercedes-EQ brand, but in future, we will keep pushing technological progress - especially on the electric drive side - focusing on Formula One.''

''It is the arena where we constantly test our technology in the most intense competition the automotive world has to offer - and the three-pointed star hardly shines brighter anywhere else. F1 offers rich potential for technology transfer, as we can see in ongoing projects such as the Vision EQXX, and our team and the entire series will achieve net-zero status by the end of the decade.''

Ending Formula E in style

Toto Wolff is of course closely involved with the Formula One team as team boss but was also on the sidelines of the FE project. ''We entered Formula E with an open mind about the series and its innovative approach to motorsport. A lot of hard work went into building the team and making it competitive - and we have seen an incredible group of talented women and men deliver at the highest level. We can be proud of our achievements and especially the double world championship won last weekend in Berlin, which will stand as a historic milestone in the long motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz. We will be giving everything to make sure that we finish our Formula E adventure in style in Season 8,'' Wolff said

''We have been extremely fortunate to enjoy the support of Mercedes-Benz in building a class-leading Formula E operation over the past few seasons. I would like to thank the company for its trust and support in our journey so far - and all the way through to what we hope will be a successful conclusion to Season 8 with a strong championship challenge. Although Mercedes-Benz has decided to leave, we recognise the value and power of Formula E; therefore, we will be exploring the best options for the team to continue competing beyond Season 8'', concludes Mercedes Formula E team principal, Ian James.