Das Beste oder nichts. The best or nothing is the slogan for Mercedes, and through their illustrious past they have been involved in all things automobile, including the evolution of racing.
Photo by Michael Elleray
The early days
Karl Benz, and his creation in January 1886, are where the origins of Merecedes-Benz lie and it was in 1926, following the merger of his and Gottlieb Daimler’s companies, that the brand took off.
In fact, the company were among the pioneers of the Grand Prix and its involvement in motor racing has always been strong. The two former companies had enjoyed success in racing already, with a single Benz competing in the first ever motor race – the 1894 Paris-Rouen, though they finished 14th on that occasion.
The Mercedes Simplex
The company’s first racecar was the Mercedes Simplex and it came out in 1902 before dominating the racing scene for many years. Ahead of the First World War in 1914, the French Grand Prix was won 1-2-3 by the DMG Mercedes.
Setting and beating land speed records, the company garnered the reputation of constructing aerodynamic cars specifically for racing.
Golden Ages, Silver Arrows and Government Money
It was the Benz Tropfenwagen that introduced Benz to the Grand Prix motor racing circuit. Although it started well, the debut success slipped away in both hillclimbing and Grand Prix which led to financial problems and the merger with Daimler.
Moving into the 1930s, Mercedes was the recipient of a lot of government money and, with rival company Auto Union, it built advanced racing machines; dominating European Grand Prix racing for a number of years.
A big part of this success was racing team manager Alfred Neubauer and the Silver Arrows. From 1934 to 1939, the car with its unpainted, shiny aluminium exterior was almost unbeatable. Flying round the track at record speeds of up to 270 mph, the vehicles became legendary and are associated with some of the legends of the racing world.
The War and the 1955 Le Mans Disaster
The Second World War halted the dominance of Mercedes but when German teams were allowed to compete in the competition in the mid-fifties, they continued in the same vein as before the war – with titles.
First, Juan Manuel Fangio – who had been 1951 champion – was poached from Maserati and won the 1954 and 55 world titles. Stirling Moss had joined the team for the latter, but Mercedes withdraw from Formula One racing following the 1955 Le Mans disaster. On June 11th, their driver Pierre Levegh crashed and his sportscar blew up, killing him and more than 80 spectators at the 24 hour race.
Back after 40 years… as an engine supplier
The incident led to cancellations of another four Grand Prix that season but Mercedes-Benz withdrew from all motorsport. It would take until 1993 to see the company in Formula One again. Agreeing an engine supplier deal with Sauber, the engines were re-badged but the partnership only garnered 12 points from that championship year.
From here, they moved to McLaren and produced a better partnership, increasing their points hauls from 1995 through 1997. In 1998, the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles were won with Mika Häkkinen and his team-mate David Coulthard sandwiched around Michael Schumacher in the table. They also won in 1999, before Ferrari and Schumacher took charge of proceedings.
This partnership between Mercedes and McLaren continued but it wasn’t until Lewis Hamilton won the championship in 2008 that more success came.
Back in the saddle
Mercedes and McLaren parted ways in 2009, and the company bought a 75% stake in Brawn, leading to wins in that year’s driver and constructor championships. The team, renamed as Mercedes GP, enticed Michael Schumacher out of retirement and he lined up with fellow German Nico Rosberg, the latter getting the first pole finish in the 2012 Chinese Grand Prix.
This was their first win in 57 years and the first time since 1939, when Hermann Lang won the Swiss Grand Prix, that a German driver had won a Grand Prix in a German car. From 2010 to 2013, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull enjoyed a clean sweep but 2014 has seen a changing of the guard with the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg dominating the Formula One standings.
From the trail-blazing early 20th century to the post-war domination of Juan Manuel Fangio to Hamilton and Rosberg, there are blots in the Mercedes history books, sections of Formula One missing, but the influence of the company on motor racing is clear for all to see.