Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1

Mercedes-Benz’s motorsport history dates back to 1894, but the brand rose to fame in the 1930s as one of the “Silver Arrows” with drivers such as Rudolf Caracciola. When the newly created Drivers’ World Championship began in 1954, Mercedes entered officially as a works team: with the legendary W196, Juan Manuel Fangio won the title straight away and repeated the feat in 1955.

That early era ended abruptly. In the tragic accident at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, driver Pierre Levegh and more than 80 spectators were killed when parts of his Mercedes flew into the crowd. The company withdrew from motorsport entirely for decades afterwards, appearing only as an engine supplier until the 1990s, including for Sauber, McLaren, Force India and Brawn GP.

At the end of 2009, Mercedes acquired the reigning champion team Brawn GP and returned as a works team in 2010, initially with Michael Schumacher behind the wheel. The first three years were mixed, and it was only with the signing of Lewis Hamilton in 2013 that the team’s fortunes truly turned around.

From 2014, Mercedes dominated Formula One’s new hybrid era like no team before it: eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021 remain a record to this day. Lewis Hamilton won six of his seven drivers’ titles during this period, while his teammate Nico Rosberg took the only title in that era that didn’t go to Hamilton, in 2016.

Since the end of that dominance in 2022, the team has undergone a structural transition. Ownership has been split since 2021 into equal thirds between Mercedes-Benz, Ineos and a company owned by team principal Toto Wolff, and since November 2025 George Kurtz has also held a stake in Wolff’s company. With George Russell and rising talent Kimi Antonelli, the team enters the 2026 season with a new generation of drivers in its bid to return to the top.