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individual expertise and dedication of its racing team engineers and technicians. As Stirling Moss, Fangio’s team partner for the 1955 season, explains nothing was left to chance at Mercedes-Benz. If there was a reliability issue it was rectified, often in time for the very next race. “The same problem would never happen twice,” says Moss. “For instance the tiny air deflector windscreen broke at Monza [during the Italian Grand Prix] when a stone hit it and, going round the banking, the force of the air meant I had to hold onto my hat - it was impossible to carry on. “So the first thing I did was go in to the pits pointing at a non-existent windscreen and 39 seconds later I went away with one fitted. That was pretty impressive, but even more impressive was that the next time I got in the car you could just push “The futuristic W 196 drew gasps of amazement from the crowd, and, along with its twin, the famous 300SLR sports prototype, the team would prove unstoppable for the next two years.” a button and a replacement screen flicked up. It was fantastic.” BACK ON TRACK In the face of the great challenges raised by the development of new passenger cars, the Stuttgart brand withdrew from motorsport for several years in 1955. But private teams, supported by Mercedes-Benz, carried on the motor racing tradition. Most notably, in 1994 came the return to Formula One with Sauber and McLaren from 1995. During this period world driver’s titles were won by Mika Häkkinen (twice, in 1998 and 1999) and Lewis Hamilton (2008) and one constructor’s title for Team West McLaren Mercedes (1998). A new era began in 2010 when Mercedes-Benz returned to Formula One with its own works team and engaged the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher as its number one driver. The drivers of the “new Silver Arrows” have yet to wear the winner’s laurels, but for the racing purists it is a thrill just to see the silver machines back in action. As Mercedes Benz celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, the brand is inseparably linked with the history of motor racing. It’s a sporting involvement that has become an endless source of fascination for race fans, as well as a driving force for the rapid advancement of motor vehicle technology. This year’s F1 Championship car - the Mercedes-Benz MGP W202. Mercedes-Benz W 25 Mercedes-Benz made the decision to develop a new racing car in 1933. The result was the W 25, an elegant monoposto with a supercharged engine. 1933 Mercedes-Benz W 125 The 1937 racing year was dominated by the innovative W 125 with its revolutionary suspension confi guration, which set a precedent for later Grand Prix car designs. 1937 Mercedes-Benz W 154 The 1939 W 154 car featured a futuristiclooking, fully streamlined body in which driver Rudolf Caracciola set four new international speed records. 1939 22 | Issue 15 | Qatar Sport
MOTORSPORTS DRIVING THE W 196 R For the modern Grand Prix driver used to driving in the prone position and with every technological and safety aid imaginable, getting behind the wheel of Fangio’s W 196 R from the 1950s is an amazing, if somewhat strange experience. The Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher tested the car before this year’s German Grand Prix at the Nurbugring, following in the tyre-tracks of Manuel Fangio, who won the 1954 edition of the race on the same track. Nico Rosberg drives the Mercedes- Benz W196 R (open-wheel version) at the Nurburging. With its powerful, fuel-injected engine, the W 196 “felt like a proper racing car” said Rosberg, but the driving position - high up with more all-round visibility - was more like a go-cart, while there was less grip compared to the current generation of F1 cars. But the real period details are in the cockpit, where Rosberg described “sitting on a cushion with no seat-belts and a big steering wheel.” The gearbox, he said, is positioned between the driver’s legs, with the accelerator pedal on the far right and the brakes on the far left. “But you get used to it very quickly,” Rosberg said. SILVER ARROWS: HALL OF CHAMPIONS 1934 Rudolf Caracciola Italian Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola Spanish Grand Prix 1935 Rudolf Caracciola Belgian Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola Swiss Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola Spanish Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola: European Champion 1936 Rudolf Caracciola Monaco Grand Prix 1937 Rudolf Caracciola German Grand Prix Manfred von Brauchitsch Monaco Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola Swiss Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola Italian Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola: European Champion 1938 Manfred von Brauchitsch French Grand Prix. Richard Seaman German Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola Swiss Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola: European Champion 1939 Hermann Lang Belgian Grand Prix Rudolf Caracciola German Grand Prix Hermann Lang Swiss Grand Prix 1954 Juan Manuel Fangio French Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio German Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio Swiss Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio Italian Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio: World Champion 1955 Juan Manuel Fangio Argentine Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio Belgian Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio Italian Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio Dutch Grand Prix Juan Manuel Fangio: World Champion Mercedes-Benz W 196 R The Stuttgart team returned to Grand Prix racing for the1954 Formula One season with the W 196 R, which could reach maximum speeds of around 260 km/h. Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR In engineering terms the 300 SLR owed everything to the W 196 Silver Arrow. The sleek sports car made a winning race debut at the1955 Millle Miglia. 1954 1955 Mercedes-Benz MGP W202 The Mercedes GP Petronas Silver Arrows returned to Grand Prix racing in 2010 and unveiled the MGP W202 for the 2011 Formula One World Championship. 2011 Qatar Sport | Issue 15 | 23
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