Mercedes (full name: Mercedes AMG F1 Team) is a German Formula 1 team based in Brackley. The team dominated Formula 1 for several years, winning eight consecutive Constructors' Championships until their streak ended in 2022. Since then, Mercedes has struggled to challenge Red Bull Racing and, more recently, McLaren. However, with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli onboard, the team is determined to return to the top in 2025.
Mercedes has a rich history in Formula 1 that dates back to 1954 and 1955, with Juan Manuel Fangio securing world championships in both years. After these early successes, Mercedes withdrew from Formula 1 as a constructor but continued to supply engines to teams like McLaren. In 2010, the team returned to the F1 grid as a constructor following the purchase of Brawn GP. From 2014 to 2020, during the hybrid era, Mercedes dominated F1, winning seven consecutive driver titles and seven Constructors’ Championships.
Lewis Hamilton secured six of those driver titles, while Nico Rosberg won one in 2016. Despite losing the driver’s title to Max Verstappen in 2021, Mercedes clinched the Constructors’ Championship that year. However, 2022 brought new regulations that did not suit Mercedes. Both Hamilton and Russell struggled with various issues, including porpoising, though Russell managed to secure the team’s only win that season in Brazil.
After a few underwhelming years, Mercedes aimed to close the gap to Red Bull Racing in 2024. Hamilton and Russell showed that they could win races, but the W15 excelled primarily under specific conditions. In 2025, Mercedes hopes to challenge Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari more consistently for both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships.
In 2025, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will drive for Mercedes, piloting the W16, the successor to the W15. Antonelli will make his F1 debut, stepping in as the replacement for Hamilton, who left for Ferrari.
Toto Wolff, the team principal and co-owner of Mercedes, holds a 33% stake in the team and is the executive director. Wolff has been instrumental in Mercedes’ success in recent years, playing a key role in the team’s dominant hybrid era.
After Valtteri Bottas was left without a seat following the 2024 season (Audi opting for Nico Hulkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber), it was quickly suggested that he might return to Mercedes, where he had previously achieved his greatest success. Starting in 2025, Bottas will serve as the team's third driver.
Following Lewis Hamilton's announced departure to Ferrari, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was reportedly keen on signing Max Verstappen to replace the seven-time world champion. Wolff openly flirted with the idea of a partnership, which caused tensions with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. However, Verstappen remained loyal to Red Bull, and Wolff eventually shifted his focus to the young Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was signed by Mercedes for 2025.
Mercedes is one of the four engine suppliers in Formula 1, using its own self-developed power unit. This allows the team to have excellent performance and provide a competitive platform. Additionally, Mercedes supplies engines to several other F1 teams.
Since 2021, Mercedes has supplied F1 engines to McLaren. However, the partnership dates back much further: from 1995 to 2014, the team was known as McLaren Mercedes and used Mercedes engines. In 2023, it was announced that the partnership would continue at least until 2030, five years after the introduction of the new engine regulations in 2026.
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