Mercedes AMG F1

History

The German team made their Formula 1 debut in 1954 but soon left the sport in a response to the 1955 Le Mans disaster. They returned again in 1994 as an engine supplier before fully re-joining the sport in 2010 after taking over the BrawnGP F1 team.

Who is driving for Mercedes in F1?

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are the teams current drivers and Toto Wolff is in charge of the team. Many praise the way the team is managed with the drivers being told that they are allowed to race each other meaning that team orders are rarely used.

Mercedes returned to Formula 1 in 2010 when they bought a minority stake in the Brawn GP team. Ross Brawn stayed as team principal and hired Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher for the start of the season. Schumacher had been retired for three years and was making a comeback to the sport and Rosberg was signed from Williams.

Mercedes spent the next few years around the midfield, building a team that would be competitive in the years to come. In 2012 it was announced that Lewis Hamilton would be joining the team from McLaren for the start of the 2013 season to race alongside Rosberg. Many criticised his move to the team but it turned out to be one of the best transfers the sport has seen.

Road to World Championships 

In 2014 Mercedes started to perform and win races and went on to win the constructors championship that year, their first Formula One world championship. They were world champions. New driver Hamilton won the drivers championship to silence those who questioned his decision to leave the success of McLaren. Mercedes had dominated throughout the year and second placed Red Bull were 296 points behind the Silver Arrows showing how much faster than everyone else they were.

Hamilton won the championship again in 2015 with Mercedes looking untouchable for the whole season and in 2016 it was Nico Rosberg's turn to win the title from which he retired at the top of the sport.

For the 2017 season Mercedes hired the Finn Valtteri Bottas from Williams and the team continued their success and domination by Hamilton claiming another championship win for the team.

In 2018 the team won their fifth consecutive constructors championship and established themselves as one of the most successful teams in Formula 1.

Why is Mercedes so dominant in F1? 

Mercedes have been the team most successful during the new hybrid era of Formula 1 as they have managed to understand the rules and regulations and push their car to levels which other teams cannot. Having attracted the sponsors and top drivers it seems that Mercedes’ future in the sport is also set to be one of success. The team's success has led to other teams buying parts and Mercedes are the current suppliers of engines to both Williams and Racing Point

Mercedes has been the team to beat in recent time and it looks like they could remain at the top for a while as they continue to develop and out smart their rival teams.