F1 Team Factfile: Mercedes

All eyes will be on Lewis Hamilton this season as Mercedes go in search of their eighth straight Constructors’ Championship. The Silver Arrows have won all seven titles in the V6 turbo era and will take some stopping in 2021.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

The first Mercedes entry in Formula One came back in 1954 when the team competed under the Daimler-Benz AG name. The team’s involvement lasted across just two seasons, and the Mercedes name would only return to F1 in 2010 in a rebrand of the Brawn GP. After three seasons with a driver lineup of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, the team brought Lewis Hamilton on board after a successful spell with McLaren and the rest is history.

The Brackley-based team have dominated the V6 turbo era, winning a staggering seven consecutive Constructors’ titles since 2014. With serial winner Toto Wolff staying with the team, the Silver Arrows are in safe hands and boast one of the strongest drivers lineups on the grid. With future star George Russell waiting in the wings, the team are in a strong position heading into the new regulations in 2022.

Lewis Hamilton

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In Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes boast arguably the greatest Formula One driver of all time. The 36-year-old matched Michael Schumacher’s record of seven Drivers’ Championship titles last season, while also taking the record for the most race wins (95), pole positions (98) and podium finishes (165) in F1 history.

The Brit won the title at a canter last season, beating teammate Valtteri Bottas by 124 points, even after missing the Sakhir Grand Prix following a positive COVID-19 test.

Hamilton won 11 of the 17 races he started last season, standing on the podium on 14 occasions. The post-season saw questions asked about a possible shock exit from the sport, but the Stevenage-born driver has signed on for another year as he goes in search of a record eighth Drivers’ Championship title.

Valtteri Bottas

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Few drivers on the grid have a bigger point to prove this season than Valtteri Bottas. The Finn struggled to challenge his legendary teammate, taking just two wins all season, first winning the season opener in Austria before cruising to victory at the Sochi Autodrom.

Bottas would ultimately see out a second-place finish in the overall standings but finished 124 points behind his teammate and just nine points ahead of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull.

Two races in particular summed up the former Williams driver’s fortunes in 2020. In November, F1 returned to Istanbul Park for the first time since the 2011 season, throwing up an incredible spectacle as Lance Stroll placed his Racing Point on pole position.

The Canadian struggled to fire up a new set of intermediate tires, allowing Hamilton to cut through the field and seal his seventh Championship title. Bottas, meanwhile, was left floundering at the back of the pack after a succession of spins in the wet weather.

The 31-year-old would suffer more misfortune in Bahrain at the Sakhir Grand Prix just two rounds later. A positive COVID-19 test for his teammate afforded Williams’ prodigy George Russell a shot in the Mercedes and the 23-year-old Brit stole the lead of the race from Bottas into turn one following an excellent launch. It was a frustrating evening for the Finnish driver, who was outshone by the man who could well replace him next season.

That brings us to the 2021 season, with Bottas looking to close the gap to Hamilton while fighting off stiffer competition from Red Bull, who have added the talented Sergio Perez to their driver lineup. With few seats likely to be available on the grid for 2022, the Finn has to prove he is worthy of a seat on the grid next season.

Prediction for the season:

Mercedes may have cruised to the title last season, but the Silver Arrows will have their work cut out if they want to seal a clean sweep in the V6 turbo era. The team’s performance in pre-season testing was a cause for concern.

Valtteri Bottas lost most of his day one track time as the team worked to fix a gearbox issue, while the Finn would later complain that the rear end of the car was ‘snappy and quite unforgiving’. Lewis Hamilton fared even worse, spinning on each of the two days he spent in the car.

The Silver Arrows were almost certainly sandbagging with their fastest laps and will still have a title-winning package when the lights go out at Bahrain, but it’s fair to say that Red Bull have closed the gap at the top.

Hamilton could find himself with some company in the title fight, but not from his teammate. Max Verstappen ran an impressive program throughout pre-season testing and his win in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season serves as a warning to the seven-time World Champion. In reality, Hamilton is the greatest Formula One driver of this generation and should have what it takes to break clear at the top of the record books.

A closer title fight won’t benefit Bottas. The Finn only just pipped Max Verstappen to second place in the Drivers’ Championship last season and now has to deal with the added pressure of the consistent Sergio Perez, who replaces Alex Albon in the second seat for Red Bull. If the gap has closed, third place seems like the most likely finish for Bottas in his make-or-break season.

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