70 years of F1 from the perspective of Mercedes Benz

08/09/2020

Normally, a Grand Prix bears the name of the country or region in which it is held. This weekend is a little different, because instead we are celebrating a very special milestone: the 70th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship.

The sport has changed a lot since the first World Championship race in Silverstone in 1950 to Formula 1 as we know it today. However, the spirit of Formula 1 has remained unchanged: the best cars and drivers compete against each other to fight for victories and world titles on the race track.

Over 66 years ago, Mercedes made its Formula 1 debut at the 1954 French Grand Prix with the breathtaking Mercedes-Benz W 196, a car that would soon be known for being ahead of its time. The Silver Arrow took Formula 1 by storm from the very first race, winning a total of nine of the twelve Grands Prix in which it competed in 1954 and 1955.

To celebrate this weekend's remarkable F1 milestone, we take a close look at our first Formula 1 car, the W 196:

The W 196 was used in two variants during its time in Formula 1: the "monoposto" with free-standing wheels and the "streamlined" version with full bodywork, which was optimized for high speeds on the straights.

The "streamlined" version of the W 196 became an absolute legend in racing history, although the "monoposto" version took part in more races.

The "streamlined" version of the car was used in the first two races of the 1954 season, while the "monoposto" only made its debut in the third race.

During its short but highly successful time in Formula 1, a total of 14 W 196 vehicles were built, including the prototype.

The "streamlined" version of the W 196 won the French Grand Prix in 1954 and the Italian Grand Prix in 1954 and 1955, the only three Formula 1 races to be won by a car with full bodywork.

It was the first Formula 1 car with direct injection (the fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber instead of the intake manifold) and force-controlled valves (the engine's valves have two cams and two actuators, each for controlled opening and closing of the valves without a spring).

The 2.5-liter 8-cylinder engine of the W 196 produced up to 256 hp in 1954. This figure was increased to 290 hp for the next season. The car achieved top speeds of more than 300 km/h.

In order to better adapt the car to certain tracks, the W 196 was used with three different wheelbases in the 1955 season. The shortest wheelbase was specially developed for Monaco, but was also available on other circuits.

In the course of the 1955 season, Mercedes was able to reduce the vehicle weight by around 70 kg.

The difference between the chassis of 1954 and that of 1955 can be clearly seen, as the 1955 car has an air scoop at the front right.

Juan Manuel Fangio was at the wheel for eight of the W 196's nine victories. The remaining victory was achieved by Sir Stirling Moss at the famous 1955 British Grand Prix, in which Mercedes clinched a quadruple victory.

Just a few weeks after the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix, Juan Manuel Fangio scored another victory in a non-championship race in Buenos Aires in a W 196 equipped with a 3-liter engine. Mercedes used the race with open regulations to test a new engine, which was later used in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR racing car from 1955 was heavily based on the W 196. The two cars shared many components, but the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR used a two-seater sports car body.