Hamilton and Moss in the Mercedes on the steep face - the absolutely awesome number
For once, "MM" does not stand for Mille Miglia but for Mercedes-Benz in Monza. An event that even caused high-ranking F1 journalist Michael Schmidt (Auto, Motor und Sport) to go into raptures. What exactly was going on?
Once again, Mercedes brought its two Grand Prix racing cars from the 1950s to the racetrack. Not just any race track, but the Parco Nazionale di Monza. However, the cars were not driven on the traditional GP circuit, but on the oval through the two newly renovated banked turns, which are almost a world heritage site. The two cars were not driven by just anyone, but by Sir Stirling Moss and Lewis Hamilton himself.
F1 expert Michael Schmidt described the excursion in "Auto Motor und Sport" under the heading: "3 things that move us": "Actually, the assignment was just: Stirling Moss talks to Lewis Hamilton. The two British racing heroes answered the call from Mercedes' Classic department to Monza. They were to drive two 1955 W196s through the old steep wall. It didn't stop at a photo opportunity. Hamilton begged for three extra laps. Photographer Wolfgang Wilhelm and I positioned ourselves on the outside of the first banked bend. Five meters above the ground. It showed again: racing drivers can't slow down. Hamilton sped through the oval at 180 km/h, just one meter from the crash barrier. Including a ricochet. My mission was accomplished. I now know what Monza must have felt like in 1955."
At the Monaco GP, Michael was still raving about Hamilton's laps on the oval. Yes, it was heroic, it was a different time, it must have been an almost supernatural experience to see all the fantastic front-engined cars on the banked curve. Of course, at the age of 86, Moss no longer does a 180, but at least he was in the Streamliner for the photo and film sessions. But the fact that Lewis Hamilton didn't miss the opportunity to put in a really fast lap speaks volumes for him. He is an absolute thoroughbred racing driver, no matter how the four wheels are packed.
In the "Auto Motor und Sport" interview, Lewis says: "The drive today was awesome. I drove a faster lap at the end. I felt the W196 with every fiber of my body. What is it doing, where is it going now? Compared to my current Mercedes, the reactions are a bit slower, but you have to be ready every second. The car kept shifting on the concrete slabs of the steep wall. Once I jumped half a meter to the left towards the crash barrier. You have to hold your breath for a moment. When I saw you (Stirling Moss) with your old helmet and racing goggles in the streamline diagonally in front of me, I felt like I was in one of your races from the past. I shouted to you while I was driving: "Hey Stirling, how cool!".
These moments were documented photographically by the well-known photographer Wolfgang Wilhelm, who has also made these unique photos available to us here.
