In the century it exists, the Mercedes marque has been a part of the Formula One World Championship for only 10 years. The first era was in the years 1954-1955, when the German car manufacturer returned to racing to revive their 1930s glory. The second era was only four decades later, when Mercedes returned to Formula One as an engine supplier. Marcel Schot looks at the facts and stats of Mercedes's involvement in F1, then and now The First Era 1954 : Mercedes (Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling, Hans Herrmann) Entries 18 Best result 1st (Juan Manuel Fangio at Reims, Nurburgring, Bremgarten & Monza) Points 60.14 (no Constructors' Championship)   % of available points 27.8% (216 points in Championship)   % of maximum 53.2% (113 points maximum) Best grid position 1st (Juan Manuel Fangio at Reims, Silverstone, Nurburgring & Monza) Races finished 12 (66.7%) Engine failures 1 (16.7%) Other mechanical failures 3 (50.0%) Non mechanical retirements 2 (33.3%) Average grid position 5.6 Average race position 3.0 Mercedes's return to Formula One was one that left the entire competition with their jaws dropped. In their first race at Reims, two of the three front row positions were occupied by Mercedes drivers, and they kept their positions to finish one-two in the race as well. Fangio had laid the foundation for his second World Championship with Maserati in the early races of the season. However, even his points scored only with Mercedes (in two thirds of the championship) would have been enough for the title. 1955 : Mercedes (Juan Manuel Fangio, Karl Kling, Hans Hermann, Stirling Moss, Andre Simon, Pierro Taruffi) Entries 21 Best result 1st (Fangio at Buenos Aires, Spa, Zandvoort & Monza; Moss at Aintree) Points 79 (no Constructors' Championship)   % of available points 47.0% (168 points in championship)   % of maximum 62.7% (126 points maximum) Best grid position 1st (Fangio at Monaco, Zandvoort & Monza; Stirling Moss at Aintree) Races finished 13 (61.9%) Engine failures 2 (25.0%) Other mechanical failures 4 (50.0%) Non mechanical retirements 2 (25.0%) Average grid position 4.0 Average race position 2.5 With Stirling Moss now in the team as the second ace besides Fangio, Mercedes proved nearly unbeatable. At Aintree Moss took his debut victory, but that was just one memorable aspect of that race. The other Mercedes feat remains unique to this day: the team finished one-two-three-four. Additional one-two finishes at Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort and Monza all contributed to what is one of the most dominating season any team has had in Formula One history. Only five teams ever took a larger part of the available championship points: 1. Ferrari, 1956   57.8% 2. Ferrari, 1952   57.6% 3. Ferrari, 1953   56.9% 4. Alfa Romeo, 1950   53.0% 5. McLaren-Honda, 1988   49.8% 6. Mercedes, 1955   48.8% However, the happenings at Le Mans on June 11, 1955, triggered Mercedes's withdrawal from racing. In a horrifying accident, over 80 people were killed when Pierre Levegh's Mercedes crashed into the crowd. The New Era The source of Mercedes's return to Formula One lies where nearly 40 years earlier its withdrawal was triggered: Le Mans. Swiss constructor Peter Sauber built a Mercedes powered prototype car for the 1985 Le Mans 24 Hours, which was subsequently used in the World Championship for Sportscars in the next year, when Sauber gained support from Mercedes. This relationship grew stronger each year, and in 1990 the Mercedes Junior Team was founded. Three young drivers drove Peter Sauber's sportscars: Michael Schumacher, Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Karl Wendlinger. By 1991, sportscar racing was becoming increasingly more expensive and both Sauber and Mercedes decided to call it a day. By then, Sauber had announced his Formula One plan and with his contract Mercedes still in effect until the end of 1993, it seemed only logical that they'd run the Formula One campaign together. However, it appeared a little more difficult than that, when Mercedes announced their withdrawal from the Formula One project on 28 November 1991. Nonetheless, the contract was there and Mercedes agreed to support Sauber until the end of 1993. The end of 1993 became the end of 1994, and after two years with Sauber, Mercedes was ready for the next step to Formula One glory and announced a cooperation with the McLaren team. In 1998, this cooperation resulted in the World Championship, which was repeated in 1999. Ilmor 1993 : Sauber (Karl Wendlinger, JJ Lehto) Entries 32 Best result 4th (JJ Lehto at Imola & Karl Wendlinger at Monza) Points 12 (7th)   % of available points 2.9% (416 points in championship)   % of maximum 4.7% (256 points maximum) Best grid position 5th (Karl Wendlinger at Donington & Imola) Races finished 14 (43.8%) Engine failures 7 (21.9%) * Other mechanical failures 5 (15.6%) Non mechanical retirements 6 (18.9%) ** Average grid position 10.9 Average race position 7.6 * JJ Lehto suffered an engine failure at Imola, but was classified nonetheless ** Karl Wendlinger had an accident at Adelaide, but was classified nonetheless The team had an impressive debut season with a relatively unexperienced collective. Even though Lehto and Wendlinger started the season with a combined 62 Formula One races of experience, this experience was with Onyx, Dallara and March and mostly at the back of the grid. The Ilmor engine - badged 'concept by Mercedes-Benz' - proved not very reliable in its first year. However, when it kept running all race, the results were good. Mercedes 1994 : Sauber (Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Karl Wendlinger, Andrea de Cesaris, JJ Lehto) Entries 31 Best result 4th (Karl Wendlinger at Imola & Heinz-Harald Frentzen at Magny Cours) Points 12 (8th)   % of available points 2.9% (416 points in championship)   % of maximum 4.8% (250 points maximum) Best grid position 3rd (Heinz-Harald Frentzen at Suzuka) Races finished 11 (37.9, based on 29 races started) Engine failures 4 (13.8%) Other mechanical failures 7 (24.1%) Non mechanical retirements 7 (24.1%) Not qualified 2 * Average grid position 11.6 Average race position 6.2 * These were the result of Karl Wendlinger's heavy crash at Monaco and the withdrawal of Heinz-Harald Frentzen because of that Sauber's second year will always be remembered by Karl Wendlinger's horrifying crash at Monaco, after which the Austrian remained in a coma for 19 days. Other than that, there was just a slight progress over the debut year. This appeared largely due to the arrival of former Mercedes Junior Team driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen and the improved reliability of the engine, which was now officially a Mercedes. 1995 : McLaren (Mika Hakkinen, Mark Blundell, Nigel Mansell, Jan Magnussen) Entries 34 Best result 2nd (Mika Hakkinen at Monza & Suzuka) Points 30 (4th)   % of available points 6.8% (442 points in championship)   % of maximum 11.3% (266 points maximum) Best grid position 3rd (Mika Hakkinen at Spa-Francorchamps & Suzuka) Races finished 18 (54.5%, based on 33 races started) Engine failures 6 (18.2%) Other mechanical failures 5 (15.2%) Non mechanical retirements 4 (12.1%) Non starter 1 * Average grid position 9.2 Average race position 6.3 * Mika Hakkinen did not start after his heavy crash in Adelaide The first year with McLaren saw another slight improvement overall, but with a disappointing result of 4th place in the Constructors' Championship. Reliability was much better than in the Sauber years, but this wasn't especially due to the engine but had more to do with less non-mechanical retirements by the more experienced driver line-up. 1996 : McLaren (Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard) Entries 32 Best result 2nd (David Coulthard at Monaco) Points 49 (4th)   % of available points 11.8% (416 points in championship)   % of maximum 19.1% (256 points maximum) Best grid position 4th (Coulthard at Imola & Spa; Hakkinen at Silverstone, Hockenheim & Monza) Races finished 22 (68.8%) Engine failures 1 (10.0%) * Other mechanical failures 4 (40.0%) Non mechanical retirements 5 (50.0%) ** Average grid position 7.4 Average race position 5.2 * Mika Hakkinen had an engine failure at Imola, but was classified nonetheless ** Mika Hakkinen had an accident at Monaco, but was classified nonetheless In its second year the McLaren Mercedes combination made a huge step forward on the reliability of especially the engine. Former Williams driver David Coulthard joined the team and performed well rightaway. Podium finishes were coming in a steady pace now, which showed in an increase in World Championship points of over 60% compared to 1995. 1997 : McLaren (Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard) Entries 34 Best result 1st (Coulthard at Melbourne & Monza; Hakkinen at Jerez) Points 63 (4th)   % of available points 14.3% (442 points in championship)   % of maximum 23.2% (272 points maximum) Best grid position 1st (Mika Hakkinen at Nurburgring) Races finished 19 (55.9%) Engine failures 6 (40.0%) ** Other mechanical failures 3 (20.0%) Non mechanical retirements 6 (40.0%, including 1 disqualification) * Average grid position 6.4 Average race position 4.8 * David Coulthard had an accident at Magny Cours, but was classified nonetheless ** David Coulthard had an engine failure at Suzuka, but was classified nonetheless With a completely steady unit for the first time, progress was evident. This already paid off in the first race of the season, where David Coulthard took McLaren's first victory in 49 races. Another two victories followed, as well as a Pole Position for Mika Hakkinen in the Luxembourg Grand Prix. The final result in the Constructors' Championship was again fourth, but the gap to Benetton in third was now only four points. As a prelude of things to come, McLaren ended the season with its first one-two finish since Gerhard Berger and Ayrton Senna occupied the top two ranks in the 1991 Japanese Grand Prix. 1998 : McLaren (Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard) Entries 32 Best result 1st (Hakkinen in Melbourne, Interlagos, Catalunya, Monaco, A1 Ring, Hockenheim, Nurburgring & Suzuka; Coulthard at Imola) Points 156 (1st)   % of available points 37.5% (416 points in championship)   % of maximum 60.9% (256 points maximum) Best grid position 1st (Hakkinen at Melbourne, Interlagos, Catalunya, Monaco, Magny Cours, Silverstone, Hockenheim, Hungaroring & Spa; Coulthard at Buenos Aires, Imola & Montreal) Races finished 25 (78.1%) Engine failures 2 (28.6%) Other mechanical failures 3 (42.9%) Non mechanical retirements 2 (28.6%) Average grid position 2.4 Average race position 2.5 1998 was McLaren-Mercedes's year of harvest. With nine wins, eleven Pole Positions and both titles, there's little else you can call it. With improving reliability figures and the same well oiled machine running for the third consecutive year, there was almost nothing that went wrong this season. 1999 :McLaren (Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard) Entries 32 Best result 1st (Hakkinen at Interlagos, Catalunya, Montreal, Hungaroring & Suzuka; Coulthard at Silverstone & Spa) Points 124 (2nd)   % of available points 29.8% (416 points in championship)   % of maximum 48.4% (256 points maximum) Best grid position 1st (Hakkinen at Melbourne, Interlagos, Imola, Monaco, Catalunya, Silverstone, A1 Ring, Hockenheim, Hungaroring, Spa & Monza) Races finished 20 (62.5%) Engine failures 0 (0.0%) Other mechanical failures 9 (75.0%) Non mechanical retirements 3 (25.0%) Average grid position 2.5 Average race position 2.5 1999 was Another excellent season, but only one of the two titles were clinched. Looking back, this can be seen as largely due to some problems with the gearbox and the tyres. Mercedes, on the other hand, had 100% reliability on the engines this year, which is quite an accomplishment. 2000 : McLaren (Mika Hakkinen, David Coulthard) Entries 34 Best result 1st (Coulthard at Silverstone, Monaco & Magny Cours; Hakkinen at Catalunya, A1 Ring, Hungaroring & Spa) Points 152 (2nd)   % of available points 34.4% (442 points in championship)   % of maximum 55.9% (272 points maximum) Best grid position 1st (Hakkinen at Melbourne, Interlagos, Imola, A1 Ring & Spa; Coulthard at Nurburgring & Hockenheim) Races finished 28 (82.4%) Engine failures 3 (50.0%) Other mechanical failures 1 (16.7%) Non mechanical retirements 2 (33.3%, including 1 disqualification) Average grid position 2.6 Average race position 2.5 McLaren-Mercedes's third consecutive strong season would have brought them both titles in almost any case in history. However, Ferrari peaked just a little higher and McLaren became the highest scoring number two ever (with only seven winners of the Constructors' Championship scoring more points than them). Reliability certainly wasn't the problem, as the 82.4% finishes ratio is in the top ten of all time. Totals: Entries 300 Wins 35 (11.7%) Pole Positions 39 (13.0%) Fastest Laps 41 (13.7%) Driver with most starts Mika Hakkinen (97) Engine failures 32 (10.7%) Other mechanical failures 44 (14.7%) Non mechanical retirements 39 (13.0%) All in all Mercedes has proven to be a strong contender in Formula One, no matter the era. It remains to be seen how they will do in the next 100 years...