The Key Moments in the History of Mercedes and Formula 1

The name Mercedes instantly makes you think of history, tradition and automobile excellence. Their cars are some of the most sought after on the market, but they also have a role in the motor racing circuit, having been involved with Formula 1 to some degree for years. But their racing history actually stretches as far back as the 19th century.

It was more than half a century before Formula 1 took off that the very first car race was held. Participants including Mercedes raced 31 miles from Paris to Rouen. While a Peugeot was the winner on that day Mercedes came to be a dominant force in motor-racing over the following decades, enjoying particular success in between the two World Wars. The Second World War and the effect it had on German industry meant that Mercedes struggled to keep up at the beginning of the 1950s however.

So while Formula 1 kicked off in 1950 it wasn’t until 1954 that Mercedes made its full-season debut. The wait was worth it as they immediately won the drivers’ championship thanks to Juan Manuel Fangio. The next year however, 79 people were killed by a Mercedes car during the Le Mans 24 hour race. Mercedes halted participation in all motorsports for nearly 30 years.

In 1994 Mercedes re-introduced itself to the world of Formula 1 as an engine supplier for Sauber and then partnering with McClaren in 1995. By 1998 the constructor’s championship was won as well as two drivers’ titles for Mika Hakkinen. In 2009 Mercedes began supplying engines for Force India and Brawn with immediate success as Brawn took both titles. This success led to them taking over Brawn in the 2010 season and rebranding the team as ‘Mercedes GP’, giving it a named car in the championship for the first time since 1955.

This was the first time in over 50 years that there was a named Mercedes car on the starting grid of a Formula 1 race. And while they have had difficult trying to maintain the same level of success no one could doubt that Mercedes have the technical expertise and dogged determination to once again be hugely successful.

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