Mercedes-Benz first participated in Formula 1 racing from 1954-1955 under the name Daimler-Benz AG using the car W196. After that they didn’t compete again till 2010. In the 2009 season they started to participate with the name Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team, now known as Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team. At present they have tie-ups with Sahara Force-India since 2009. They also had a tie-up with McLaren that existed from 2009-2014 after which McLaren shook hands with Honda.

1954-1955

The team had immediate success with Fangio and Karl Kling. They won the fastest lap as well. Fangio went on to win three more races in 1954, winning the championship. The success continued into the 1955 season, with Mercedes-Benz developing the W196 throughout the year. Mercedes-Benz dominated the season with Fangio and Stirling Moss, winning the British Grand Prix.

Fangio and Moss finished first and second in that year’s championship. Everything was going fine till the 1955 disaster at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 11 June, which killed Mercedes-Benz sportscar driver Pierre Levegh that led to the cancellations of the French, German, Spanish, and Swiss Grands Prix. At the end of the season they withdrew their team from all motorsports.

2010

Mercedes-Benz returned to Formula One for the 2010 season after buying a minority stake (45.1%) in the Brawn GP team with Aabar Investments purchasing 30% on 16 November 2009. They hired two German drivers Nico Rosberg and the great Michael Schumacher. The 7 times world champion returned to F1 after 3 years of absence. The team’s performance during 2010 was not so competitive. Their best results came from Rosberg finishing on the podium three times. The finished the season with 214 points securing the 4th position.

2011

Before the 2011 season begun, Daimler and Aabar purchased the remaining 24.9% stake owned by the team management in February 2011. The same team took part with Mercedes MGP W02, a racing car. None of the legends were able to show their extraordinary performance as they finished 4th with 165 points.

2012

This season they used Mercedes F1 W03. Notable results included, Nico Rosberg finishing first and second in China and Monaco Grand Prix and Schumacher finishing third in the European Grand Prix. They were involved into a technical controversy. Just before the Australian Grand Prix their competitors complained their rear wing use in the cars to be illegal. But finally, FIA’s technical delegate C.Whiting declared the system to be legal. They finished the season with 142 points securing the fifth position.

2013

This year their performance was much better. There was a change in the team as well. Lewis Hamilton left McLaren and signed a three years contract. He replaced Schumacher, partnering with Rosberg. The Mercedes F1 W04 was used this time in the race and it proved to be a huge success. They finished second with 360 points. The notable results are as follows:

• L.Hamilton: 1st in Hungarian Grand Prix, 3rd in Malaysian, Chinese, Canadian and Belgian Grand Prix
• N.Rosberg: 1st in Monaco and British Grand Prix, 2nd in Indian Grand Prix, 3rd in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

2014

The dream era for Mercedes started with a bang. They started using hybrid cars, Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid. The result came out instantly. The season began with Rosberg winning the Australian Grand Prix by 27 seconds. The car was proved to be dominant because of an innovative design feature on the PU106A, the car’s engine. Lewis Hamilton described it as the best car he has ever driven. The team won all the races apart from Canadian, Belgian and Hungarian Grand Prix. They got the taste of being the Constructors’ Champion at the 16th race of the season with Hamilton winning the race and Rosberg comming second in the Russian Grand Prix.

Rosberg started the season with a win and Hamilton ended it by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The glorious stats of Mercedes was like a dream with sixteen wins (11 for Hamilton and 5 for Rosberg), eighteen poles (7 for Hamilton and 11 for Rosberg), twelve fastest laps (7 for Hamilton and 5 for Rosberg). They ended the season being the Constructors’ Champion with 701 points and Hamilton winning his first World Drivers’ Championship.

The notable performances are as follows:

• L.Hamilton: 1st in Malaysian, Bahrain, Chinese, Spanish, British, Italian, Singapore, Japanese, Russian, and United States Grand Prix, 2nd in Monaco, Austrian and Brazilian Grand Prix and 3rd in German and Hungarian Grand Prix.
• N.Rosberg: 1st in Australian, Monaco, Austrian, German and Brazilian Grand Prix and 2nd in Malaysian, Bahrain, Chinese, Spanish, Canadian, Belgian, Italian, Japanese, Russian, United States Grand Prix.

2015

The dream era continued with Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid. Experts described it to be the most dominant car in the sports’ history. There was a differences in design but Hamilton felt that to be similar to its previous season car. Some in-season developments were also made like introduction of new, square-shaped arches next to the front wing endplates as well as cuts near the rear wing endplates, aiming at a higher top speed during the Chinese Grand Prix. The team arrived in Spain with narrower sidepots, including a small air duct at the bottom to aid cooling or to influence aerodynamics at the diffuser. Before the Canadian event, the car received a larger radiator to improve the cooling of the power unit at the track.

This car holds the following F1 records:

• Most championship points in a season with highest percentage: 703 (86.04%)
• Most podiums in a season with highest percentage: 32 (84.21%)
• Most 1-2 finishes in a season with highest percentage: 12 (63.15%)
• Most front row lockouts in a season with highest percentage: 15 (78.94%)
• Most pole positions in a season with highest percentage: 18 (94.73%)
• Most number of wins in a season: 16 (along with Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid)
• Most consecutive races with both cars on podium in a season: 9

The season started with Hamilton winning the Australian Grand Prix and Rosberg comming second. They won the podium in 9 consecutive races. Rosberg finished the season by winning the last 3 races, his first hattrick in his career. Again in the Russian Grand Prix, they won the Constructors’ Championship. This season also they won 16 out of 19 races. They had sixteen wins (10 for Hamilton and 6 for Rosberg), eighteen poles (10 for Hamilton and 8 for Rosberg), thirteen fastest laps (8 for Hamilton and 5 for Rosberg). This season also ended being the Constructors’ Champion with 703 points (breaking their own previous year record) and Hamilton winning the World Drivers’ Championship for the second time.

Notable performances are as follows:

• L.Hamilton: 1st in Australian, Bahrain, Chinese, Canadian, Belgian, British, Italian, Japanese, Russian, United States Grand Prix, 2nd in Malaysian, Spanish, Austrian, Mexican, Brazilian and Abu Dhabi and 3rd in Monaco Grand Prix.
• N.Rosberg: 1st in Spanish, Austrian, Mexican, Brazilian, Abu Dhabi and Monaco Grand Prix, 2nd in Australian, Chinese, Canadian, Belgian, British, Japanese, United States Grand Prix, 3rd in Malaysian, Bahrain Grand Prix.

2016

This season’s car is Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid with Rosberg winning the first four consecutive races, Australian, Bahrain, Chinese and the Russian Grand Prix. This is his career best starting of the season. They are on top of the table with 157 points right now. They are heading towards another constructor championship. Lets see who wins the World Drivers’ Championship title, Rosberg or Hamilton.