The ebb and flow of Formula One success is something the Mercedes AMG F1 team are now experiencing. Having first joined the F1 party in three years after the FIA F1 inaugural championship was established in 1950, the iconic German racing brand won the 1954 championship with the legendary driver Juan Manuel Fangio.

Their championship success was repeated the following year, yet the team withdrew from the all motorsports competition after their second F1 championship in 1955 following the disaster at Le Mans. 83 spectators and French Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh were killed and around 120 more were injured as the Benz 300 SLR was launched into the crowd at over 200kmh an hour.

 

 

 

Mercedes bail out of F1

Large amounts of debris including the Mercedes engine block, radiator, front suspension and bonnet (hood for the yanks) were sent flying into the packed spectator area in front of the grandstand. The rear of Levegh’s car landed on the berm and exploded into flames. At the time it was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history, prompting Switzerland to institute a nation-wide ban on motorsports altogether that lasted until 2022.

Then in 1994 Swiss based Sauber team persuaded Mercedes to return to F1 who promptly became the supplier of engines to the McLaren team the next year and the partnership claimed its first F1 victory in 1997 at the Australian Grand Prix. The following two seasons (1998/99) Mika Hakkinen picked up the drivers’ championship as a long term partnership between the British team and Mercedes began to take shape.

Yet the partnership failed to live up to the heights of McLaren’s years with Honda and it was another nine years before Mercedes were to see championship glory when Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 F1 drivers’ title. Now the German auto manufacturer had the tase of success they began planning their entry into the sport as a full works team outfit.

They acquired the one year wonder Brawn GP F1 outfit for the 2010 season and set about designing and building one of the most dominant engines ever seen in modern F1 as they planned for the 2014 big regulation change in powertrains who announced with a fanfare the V6 hybrid turbo era.

Ferrari boss makes it plain, Hamilton not No.1

 

 

 

Silver Arrows recruitment cock-up

The power unit saw the team rack up a record eight consecutive constructors’ titles along with seven drivers’ championships to boot but since the next big F1 regulation change in 2022, the mighty silver arrows have struggled to compete with the all conquering Red Bull squad led by Max Verstappen.

Such has been their plight that Lewis Hamilton who once stated his future F1 career would end with him as a Mercedes driver now sees him plan to leave the sinking ship along with a score of other ‘rats.’ The debate over who will replace the faded glory seven times world champion continues to rage since his announcement pre-season he will drive for Ferrari next year.

Led by corporate corporate financier Toto Wolff, Mercedes missed out on the hottest property in rookie F1 drivers since the days of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. They refused to replace either Nico Rosberg or Hamilton when offered the opportunity of a young Max Verstappen aged seventeen and Red Bull capitalised on their error of judgement.

Verstappen competed in just one year of European junior formula racing and was snapped up by the Red Bull junior team named Toro Rosso at the time. He skipped F3/F2 (GP3/GP2) completely becoming the youngest driver to compete in F1 in its entire history.

Insider: ‘Bottas switch to….. almost certain”

 

 

 

Excited Wolff back tracks on decision

The Mercedes junior driver programme has another Max look alike on their books in the form of racer Kimi Antonelli. The Italian has been launched from regional formula races into F2 this year with the highly competitive Prema outfit who have groomed several F1 drivers over the years.

When Hamilton announced he was offski to Ferrari, Toto Wolf made a radical statement over his replacement suggesting the team may well do a Red Bull/Verstappen style move with Antonelli. 

“Maybe it’s a chance to do something bold,” suggested Wolff just days after Hamilton’s resignation. Of course everyone knew this was a reference to bringing in Antonelli into the Mercedes team.

Yet Mercedes have dithered over the past four months and recent statements from Wolff suggests he is back tracking o the idea of a rookie superstar for next year. Antonelli’s experienced team mate in F2 was drafted in by Ferrari to replace the appendicitis stricken Carlos Sainz at the second round of this years F1 calendar and impressed coming home in P7 ahead of seven tines champion Lewis Hamilton and most recent inaugural F1 Grand prix winner Lando Norris.

Mercedes con Russell with dodgy data

 

 

 

Hamilton backs Antonelii

But the Ferrari future hopeful now languishes down in twentieth place in F2 after eight rounds of the season, while team mate Kimi Antonelli is punching above his weight in P6. Lewis Hamilton at the latest F1 weekend in Imola called on his boss to nail his colours to the mast and follow Red Bull’s lead by taking a risk on a young superstar in the making.

“Honestly, I have no idea what Toto’s plans are,” Hamilton told assembled media in Italy, “ but for me, taking on a youngster, if it was my role [Mercedes team boss], I would probably take on Kimi.” Yet after his assertion he may make a “bold decision” on Hamilton’s replacement Toto Wolff has repeatedly back tracked and risks making a conservative decision which could see Mercedes lose Antonelli to a rival team.

Speaking two days ago in Imola to assembled media, the Mercedes boss had this to say. “We are hyping the young man for a long time now. He will be a very good and a great driver one day in Formula 1, but he is 17.

”14 months ago, he drove an F4 car and there’s so much expectations in Italy and we [are also] a little bit guilty also about talking about him at that stage. I think we should let him do his F2 thing and deliver results and not be too carried away with what could be or should be,” concluded the Mercedes boss.

Andretti recruit key FIA engineer

 

 

 

Mercedes risk averse

Prior to the iconic Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, the paddock rumours swirling suggest Mercedes are pressurising Williams – their engine customer team – to ditch Logan Sargeant and bring in Kimi Antonelli for the rest of the season. Yet Williams team boss James Vowles explained in Imola he was ready to work with Sargeant to improve this poor form.

Mercedes missed out on signing Max Verstappen and Red Bull have proven they will make dramatic moves on the F1 driver market. They recruited from under Mercedes’ nose world champion Formula E driver Nyck de Vries.  This proved to be an error, but Red Bull F1 Racing are clearly prepared to roll the dice as they reach for the next big signing to be groomed as the long term replacement for Max Verstappen.

Since their inception as Red Bull Racing and the various names attributed to their junior team based in Italy, have drafted  into the fold more young drivers than the other teams. And if Toto Wolff fails to secure the signature of Kimi Antonelli, Christian Horner may well be chuckling at the latest blunder his arch rival has made.

Mercedes short list to replace Hamilton down to 2

 

 

 

Newey manager reveals his next mov

Its rare a Formula One engineer is the centre of attention in the paddock yet at the Miami Grand Prix all the talk was about Adrian Newey. The Red Bull design guru announced he was leaving the F1 team with immediate effect although he will remain with the energy drinks corporation to complete the roll out of the RB17 hypercar.

In his only interview that weekend with Martin Brundle, Adrian claimed he was “a little tired” and would probably get a motorhome and travel down through France with his wife and their dogs. Of course there was immediate frenzied speculation over where Newey might end up next with Ferrari being most commentators best guess…. READ MORE