IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER
Welcome back everyone! Here we're for the last episode of this gripping trilogy. Let's briefly recall the previous reading “THE EMPIRE STRIKES AGAIN!”
Between the 1930s and 1960s, our beloved Star returned to motorsport: first in the Grand Prix and then in F1. Thanks to absolutely cutting-edge technologies for the time, Mercedes achieved exceptional results which culminated in the conquest of the F1 drivers' world title in 1954 and 1955 thanks to Juan Manuel Fangio.
In 1955 Mercedes-Benz also said goodbye to the world of motorsport1955 was also the year of farewell to motorsport for Mercedes-Benz: in fact, our shining star officially withdrew from all competitions following a terrible accident on the Le Mans circuit.
From then nothing, or almost, until…
🍿Pop corn and 🥤drinks are there? Are you ready?...Let's go!!
THE FORCE WILL BE YOU FOREVER
It was 1993, if we want, we can find some elements that recall the actual birth of this myth as it happened about a century earlier.
Mercedes bought the company specializing in the design and construction of engines Ilmor Engineering: engine supplier for the Sauber Team. The three-pointed Star found space on the side of the C12 and above all, after 40 years it was F1 again!
The return to the premier class of motor sports started thanks to the partnership with the Swiss manufacturer, which yielded countless victories in the sports-prototype category thanks to the formidable C9 and C11 at the end of the 80s.
In 1994, the Mercedes-Benz name was affixed to the engines powering the Sauber C13.
The results of these first years of return have certainly not been encouraging: not exciting performances punctuated by many withdrawals. The return had foreseen a long learning phase which however proved to be fundamental when the adventure began as a technical partner as engine supplier to the McLaren Team (1995).
Mercedes-Benz supplied engines to McLaren until 2014 and was also a shareholder in the British team during this time. After a period of learning, the collaboration yielded the first results in 1997: two victories for the driver David Coulthard (Australia and Monza), one victory for Mika Häkkinen (Jerez). Then, the flying Finn conquered the drivers' world title in the 1998 – 1999 seasons, contributing with his teammate to the conquest of the constructors' title in 1998. First Hakkinen and then Coulthard became runners-up in the world respectively in 2000 and 2001. In those four years Mercedes-Benz "engineer" achieved 27 victories, 32 pole positions and 36 fastest laps and a constructors' title!
Meanwhile, in those years, a very young Jedi warrior knocks on the door and shows up! He feels the Force of the Star flowing powerfully in him…do you have any ideas? We do, but we don't want to spoil what awaits you!
From 2002 to 2007, the championships were although characterized by fluctuating results, but fundmental: they helped lay the foundations for the team we all know now.
In 2002, following the death of Paul Morgan, who co-founded Ilmor with Mario Ilien, the company was acquired by the Daimler-Chrysler group as the majority shareholder: Mercedes-Ilmor Ltd was born.
In 2005 the Special Project Group company, which Ilmor belongs to, was divided among all the shareholders. The Star believed that the time was ripe to become a real engine manufacturer, separating definitively from this project. Based in Brixworth, Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd was officially born.
In the period 2002-2006 the partnership with McLaren saw results too far from world dreams, touched by Kimi Räikkönen in 2003 and 2005.
In the period 2002-2006 the partnership with McLaren achieved results too far from world championship dreams, touched by Kimi Räikkönen in 2003 and 2005.
2002- 2 Fastest race laps, 1 win
2003- 2 Pole positions, 3 fastest race laps, 2 wins
2004- 1 Pole position, 2 Fastest race laps, 1 win
2005- 7 Pole positions, 12 fastest race laps, 10 wins
2006- 3 Pole positions, 3 Fastest laps in the race, NO WIN for the first time since 1996.
FAITH PROMISE: LEWIS HAMILTON and MERCEDES
2007 is remembered for many aspects, but the most important certainly remains the debut in F1 of the very young Lewis Hamilton, who had already been under the protective wing of the Star for several years through the support of Ron Dennis (McLaren CEO at that time) .
A completely renewed team in terms of drivers, with the young rookie alongside the already established 2005-2006 world champion Fernando Alonso. The coexistence between the two was immediately difficult and culminated in an internal war that denied them the drivers' title and that deprived Mercedes, as an engineer, of being able to boast of the constructors' title (also thanks to a never well defined spy story had involved some members of McLaren and Ferrari team).
Right from the start Lewis proved to be very strong putting the "Prince" of Asturias on the ropes several times. Finally in Canada, for the number 44 arrived the first pole and first career victory: it was just the beginning of a long history of triumphs!
Overall, for the team, the season ended with 8 pole positions, 9 fastest laps in the race and 8 victories.
Finally, the seasons 2008 and 2009 gave Mercedes the joy of the drivers' world title (2008 Lewis Hamilton, 2009 Jenson Button), albeit still only as an engineer. In 2009 thanks to a particular series of events, obviously lucky, also the constructors' title thanks to the Brawn GP! In fact, since 2009 Mercedes has supplied its engines to Brawn GP and Force India, in addition to the consolidated collaboration with McLaren.
In detail:
2008- 7 pole positions (on behalf of Lewis only!), 3 fastest race laps and 6 wins
2009- 9 Pole positions (5 Brawn GP, 4 McLaren signed Hamilton), 4 fastest race laps of Brawn GP alone, 10 wins (8 for Brawn GP and 2 for McLaren by Lewis!!!).
THE STRENGHT OF THE EMPIRE
2010 is the year in which Mercedes officially returned to F1 as a 360° constructor. Daimler AG, after took over Brawn GP from Ross Brawn, and together with other minority shareholders bring the myth of the Star back to life: Mercedes GP Team was reality! The new silver arrows were put in the hands of Nico Rosberg and the Kaiser, ex red, Michael Schumacher.
The 2010-2011-2012 seasons didn't turn out to be particularly full of satisfactions for the respective projects W01-W02-W03: overall 1 Pole position, 1 win and three podiums, but we were getting ready for the best. A profound reorganization involves all the departments in Brackley, thanks also to the arrival of an exceptional technical figure "discarded" a short time before by rival Ferrari: Engineer. ALDO COSTA!
In 2012, the Star returned to success in F1 57 years after its abandonment. In the GP of China, Nico Rosberg signed Pole position and won the race. On 28 September 2012, Michael Schumacher announced the end of his adventure with the silver arrows; the German ace was 43 years old at the time and Lewis Hamilton was hired in his place, whose racing number we all know is 44: randomness, fate, numbers? Surely you can read the handover between two legends!
In 2013 the team became MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS F1 TEAM and returned to the top step of the podium: in fact, Nico Rosberg won 2 GPs (Montecarlo and Silverstone), while Lewis Hamilton obtained the first of a long series of victories with the formidable Ws car in the Hungarian GP. The W03 proved to be a real arrow that season, scoring 8 pole positions (5 for Lewis and 3 for Nico) and one fastest lap in the race. A rocket that, unfortunately, suffered terribly from tire wear during the race. The victory in Montecarlo seted off an alarm bell in the rivals' home: Ferrari and Red Bull asked the FIA for clarifications for a test carried out by Mercedes in Barcelona with Pirelli and with not too clear outlines!
Final result: Mercedes violated an article, Pirelli did the same (but not attributable because it is commercially linked with the supply of tires), Charlie Whiting (FIA) authorized the test even though it didn't have the power ... yesterday as today, FIA incompetent at the level of governance, but that's another story!
With the advent of the new rules in 2014 and a super team perfectly directed by Toto Wolff, admirably recommended by his friend Niki Lauda, and a perfect technical department headed by Aldo Costa, the silver arrows were practically unattainable for all the competition. The intention of creating a winning DNA succeeded perfectly: to date, the Team has won 8 consecutive constructors' titles and 7 consecutive drivers' titles!
RETURN OF THE JEDY
Driving these modern interstellar fighters beyond their limits is very difficult. Without doubts, our Jedi Knight Lewis Hamilton is simply the best. The Black King won 6 drivers' titles out of the 7 Mercedes ones. The only exception, the 2016 championship won by Nico Rosberg!
Three drivers for a result that indelibly marks the history of modern F1, and it's not over yet: from 2013 to today, 116 victories (82 for Hamilton, 23 for Rosberg, 10 for Bottas and 1 for Russell), an equally tremendous series of pole positions and fastest laps in the race that it's really difficult for me to remember them all (I'm very happy to leave this work to you with the help of Wikipedia).
I like to think about Lewis Hamilton as a Jedy Knight because his achievements are all tied to his belief in the strength of our beloved three-pointed Star, exceptionally and inseparably:
310 races run, 103 victories, 103 pole positions, 191 podiums, 61 fastest race laps, 4405,5 points (data updated to the Abu Dhabi GP 2022).
For Mercedes, the 2022 season was very disappointing, with a car (W13) that had a lot of difficulties in setting up. Thanks to the hard work by Lewis and George who have pushed all the staff, the end of the season has given new and pulsating emotions ... as if to say that Mercedes is always "Alive and kicking!"
"THE FORCE FLOWS MIGHTY" and I... continue to gloat on the notes "🎼🎵The best is yet to come🎶!"
LUCA PATRONE
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