Mercedes, five-time champion of the hybrid era

With five titles with the Constructors and as many with the Drivers, the Mercedes team has dominated the hybrid era of Formula 1 without contest since the new engines were introduced in 2014.

Since its return to the premier discipline of motor racing in 2010, the German manufacturer has consistently been among the top four teams on the grid, making steady progress until becoming the benchmark for the past five seasons with its five world titles.

2014: The First Title

2013 had been the year of change at Mercedes with the departure of Michael Schumacher and the surprise arrival of Lewis Hamilton. Finishing in 2nd place in the Constructors’ standings, the new duo formed by the Brit and his best rival Nico Rosberg was set to enliven the 2014 season with memorable battles. The W05, the first world champion car under the new hybrid engine regulations in Formula 1, dominated the competition. After six Grand Prix, Mercedes already totaled six victories, six pole positions, five one-twos, led every lap since the start of the season, and accumulated 240 points, 141 more than Red Bull, second in the standings.

The rest of the season will be marked by some skirmishes between Hamilton and Rosberg in Hungary and Belgium, notably, but the Briton will take a definitive advantage over his teammate during the last race in Abu Dhabi. In the meantime, another one-two finish by the two men at the Russian Grand Prix had already secured the Constructors’ title for Mercedes.

2015: the confirmation

The 2015 season mirrors the previous one: an obvious domination by Mercedes and their drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Even though tension is palpable between the two men, the Briton gains the psychological upper hand over his sole rival.

It is once again at the Russian Grand Prix that Mercedes becomes world champion for the second time in its history thanks to a victory by Lewis Hamilton. The latter also wins the world crown, his third, at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

It’s a new record season for Mercedes with 16 victories, 18 pole positions, and 13 one-two finishes, even though tensions are rising between its two drivers, as illustrated by the “Cap Gate” in Austin…

2016: the season of all records

21 Grand Prix, 20 pole positions, 19 victories, and 765 points for Mercedes. The numbers speak for themselves. The relentless battle between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in this 2016 season relegates the other drivers and teams on the grid to the status of spectators.

This fratricidal duel reaches its climax in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix. The two Mercedes drivers collide on the first lap, get angry, and especially put an end to an impressive streak for their team: Mercedes had always finished in the points since the 2012 United States Grand Prix!

But this time, the reliability of the Silver Arrows is no longer a model of its kind, and Lewis Hamilton pays the price. Often hindered by problems with the ERS of his engine, it’s the breakdown of the latter that more or less seals his championship chances, allowing Rosberg to take the lead and win, without faltering, his only world title in Abu Dhabi in the last race of the season.

2017: The Ferrari Threat

During the winter of 2017, Mercedes and its Sporting Director Toto Wolff faced an unprecedented problem. Nico Rosberg, the reigning world champion, decided to retire! After a few weeks of reflection, the choice for Lewis Hamilton’s teammate fell on the Williams driver, Valtteri Bottas, managed by Wolff and familiar with the Mercedes engine that has been powering the British team for a few seasons. To satisfy Williams in this forced transfer, Paddy Lowe, the Technical Director of the German team, went the other way and joined Grove.

Without an internal rival, Hamilton finds a new challenger in Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes is thus challenged by Ferrari, which wins the inaugural race in Australia and four other Grand Prix. Hamilton won’t take the lead in the Drivers’ Championship until Monza, to ultimately be crowned in Mexico. Ferrari sabotages itself with a double collision involving Vettel/Räikkönen at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix.

Mercedes, less dominant, still wins the Constructors’ title, a week before its driver, in the United States, with 146 points ahead of Scuderia.

2018: An intense struggle

This time, the Ferrari threat is increasingly present. Sebastian Vettel and Scuderia win the first two Grand Prix of the season and put pressure on Mercedes, which seems to have lost its advantage, particularly in terms of engine power.

But Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel stumble, as in Germany where they let an easy victory slip away due to a driving error. Hamilton and Mercedes, bolstered by the mistakes of their rivals and a clear resurgence in form, seize the opportunity to take the lead in the championship and never let it go. A controversy at the Russian Grand Prix concerning Mercedes’ team orders, sacrificing a victory for Valtteri Bottas in favor of Hamilton, does not impede the progress of the Silver Arrows. The Brit is crowned in Mexico and his team two weeks later, in Brazil, for the fifth time.