Today at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, the German car manufacturer launched its new “Silver Arrows” Formula 1 team, which will be known as Mercedes GP Petronas, with drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.. The team will be managed by Ross Brawn, Nick Fry and Norbert Haug. The launch attended by 600 guests, including 200 media representatives and 200 Mercedes-Benz employees, revealed the team’s new livery.
The event opened with a welcome speech by Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars before Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg presented the new Silver Arrows livery for the 2010 season on last year’s car. The team’s 2010 car, the MGP W01, will make its track debut at the first Formula 1 test in Valencia on Monday, February 1.
The legacy of the Silver Arrows goes back to the 1934 Eifelrennen when, on the evening before the event, the white paint was sanded off the Mercedes W25 race cars to meet the weight regulations of 750kg formula and the silver colour of the aluminium surface of the car appeared. This season, with the return of the Silver Arrows, the MGP W01 will shine in silver combined with a flow of iridescent silver shading. On the nose and on other parts of the car
traces of black carbon fibre visible are visible.
“Finally the 2010 Formula One season is firing up!” said Schumacher. “I have to say that I am totally committed to this
new challenge. This season feels like a re-start for me and I am so motivated. We have a very exciting combination at Mercedes GP Petronas. We have a World Champion team in every sense of the word and I cannot wait to get into the car for the first time in Valencia. I am convinced that Mercedes GP Petronas will be in a very good position to fight for the championships this season and I will definitely give it a go. Driving for Mercedes-Benz again is like the closing of a circle for me as I started my racing driver career with the three-pointed star on my helmet. This is another reason why I cannot wait for the competition to get underway.”
Nico Rosberg spoke of the company’s history in the sport.
“You can really feel the successful motorsport history of Mercedes-Benz here at the Museum in Stuttgart, ” he said, “and to be part of the new Silver Arrows team and that racing heritage makes me feel extremely proud and motivated. Since joining the team in November, I have spent a lot of time at the factory in Brackley, at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth and here in Stuttgart, which has given me the opportunity to settle in and get to know everyone. I have seen how hard the team is working on the new car and I really can’t wait for the opportunity to drive it for the first time in Valencia next week. I am looking forward to working with everyone at Mercedes GP Petronas and will give it my all to reward their fantastic efforts with good on-track results this season.”
The team principal will be Ross Brawn.
“Our team have been working extremely hard throughout last year and over the winter on the development of the MGP W01 and everyone at the team is looking forward to the start of testing in Valencia next week,” he said. “We have two excellent drivers in Nico and Michael, who will form one of the most exciting and one of the best partnerships on the grid, and with the support of Mercedes-Benz, Aabar and our new title partner Petronas plus all of our team partners, everyone is looking forward to the 2010 Formula 1 season with anticipation.”
Mercedes-Benz motorsport chief Norbert Haug says that this is the start of a new chapter for the company.
“With today’s presentation of our new Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team, a new and certainly the most important chapter of over 100 years of Mercedes-Benz motorsport history begins. The new Formula One season will offer challenges which will be bigger than ever before in over sixty years of the sport’s history. We look forward to the cooperation with our drivers Nico Rosberg who has enormous capabilities and perspectives, and with seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher who is no less motivated than at the time when he began his professional motor racing career with Mercedes-Benz and then made his first step into such a successful Formula One career with our support.”
Hi Joe,
There was word that Heidfeld might be Mercedes’ third driver – any word on this?
Oh Joe, the old “white paint sanded off” canard, really? That had been fairly brutally shot down in the last couple of years as being just so much Neubauer legend building. I thought you historians were supposed to keep up with that sort of thing?
“The legacy of the Silver Arrows goes back to the 1934 Eifelrennen when, on the evening before the event, the white paint was sanded off the Mercedes W25 race cars to meet the weight regulations of 750kg formula and the silver colour of the aluminium surface of the car appeared. ”
Joe, I was disappointed to read this on your blog. Surely you are aware of the very doubtworthy accuracy of this story?
I was quoting a press release from Mercedes-Benz. As far as I am concerned if they think this is the history, then it has probably been checked up to the full. It may not be true, but how does one prove otherwise?
I’m not sure why people are so interested in Nick Heidfeld, he has never won a race and at this point in his career would seem to be ready for a new direction in his life!
Is this a reflection on the new guys coming into racing, F1 in particular?
It used to be that the cars and circuits were so unsafe that old drivers were not a problem and hence there was a reasonable turnover of drivers Vs new talent, but now we are subjected to the return of old guys such as Schumacher and the hanging on of the Heidfeld’s of the world.
Why would Mercedes give a seat to Heidfeld when there must be a hundred young German drivers that would have a much better future in racing and do far more for the promotion of the brand than a old guy? Heavens, when Rosberg gets fed up with testing parts for his team mate they could get a new “wunderkind” to do it!
Haven’t some pictures emerged recently that suggest there is truth in the story?
SS7
Hmm… they haven’t been able to bring on any more major sponsors other than Petronas ? Even MB’s prestige is not able because the sponsorship market is so bad, or its just something they don’t want to ?
Tony,
If Heidfeld did get a reserve seat, I don’t see how he could do badly as he probably won’t be doing anything
Daimler even convened a conference to discuss the “silberne Pfeil” issue a few years back. Doug Nye presents a very good, succinct overview in this Telegraph article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorsport/2749203/The-history-of-the-Silver-Arrows.html
Just goes to show how much weight you ought to give the historical fluff in most company press releases.
Is it just me or does Nico look like one of those poseable Barbie dolls, where you move the arms and legs so they fit in their cars? Michael looks a lot more comfortable.
The Museum in Stuttgart is really excellent, I can recommend it if anyone is passing.
Nico’s putting on a brave face; if past form is anything to go by he won’t have a chance of equality within the team (I’m not sure he deserves it either at the moment, but it would be nice to think there is a possiblity to earn it).
Poor Nico…
He looks like he’s playing Charlie McCarthy to Schumi’s Edgar Bergan, in that last pic.
First I have heard of that. Who is the source for this being disproved? What is not in doubt is that before that race they had white cars and after it they had silver cars so something must have caused the change. Any idea what?
I cannot believe they called it W01. At least it is better than the rumoured RB1 but W01. Don’t these people know their own history. It seems odd that while Notus (Not Lotus) is hanging on the coat tails of Lotus that Mercedes just binned their own history and started from 1 again. Unbelievable.
@ Tony
Certainly Heidfeld has proved himself over the years to be a decent driver. Many do not ever get a win, but if he threatens teh top regularly for a couple season he is considered a top driver. Remember that it was quite a many seasons before Rubens or Jensen got their first win. While he as eclipsed them in races entered without a win, it does show that you can become a winner late in the game.
Well I must say Nico really looks the part to fit into those illustrious shoes doesn’t he, and Schuey looks fit and really up for it.
Joe, regarding the paint, i believe it has been proven otherwise. It would be too lengthy to go into detail here, but here are a few facts: there is a picture of the entire MB team with W25s in SILVER taken on the Wednesday before the race. Nor do any contemporary photographs show a white painted MB chassis during practice. And Daimler company archivists had to admit in 2007 that they could not provide photos showing indisputably white M-Benz W25s.
This and much more information regarding this legend of Neubauer is detailed in the book, Hitler’s Motor Racing Battles by Eberhard Reuss.
Hope this helps.
BTW, your blog is fantastic, thank you.
alej
Joe, joe, joe, you of all people, to unquestioningly retransmit the silver arrow paint stripper myth … that’s a terrible disapointment.
(Only half-joking here by the way, as a student of the history, and especially the 30s and 40s, i thought you of all people would have been all over that particular bit of Stuttgart museum-tour PR nonsense).
The ’34 Eifelrennen was a formula libre event, no weight limit. No requirement for any mechanics to spend the night scraping and scratching.
An unfortunate coincidence for AutoUnion to have befallen apparently identical weight issues requiring them too to abandon traditional German racing white for brave-new silver. The first Auto Unions debuted in late May ’34 in Berlin, before Eifelrennen, in silver.
A very nice photo of the regime’s head honchos inspecting a factory-fresh, and very not-white looking, W35 – again several months before Eifelrennen
http://www.linkgigant.at/images/4434_feb_munich_werlin_h.jpg
No contemporary press reports can be found that mention a change in colour between practise and the race.
Neubeuer was a notorious teller of tall-tales anyway, but post-war, what with national socialism being a whole lot less fashionable than once was, wouldn’t you too want to put a spin on that inconvenient period of your company’s history too.
“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on” … let’s not encourage it, let’s all stick together on this one and make a stand for the historical actualties.
Joe, can you edit the previous message to correct W35 to read W25 … an unfortunate fat-fingered typo.
Is it me, or does Rosberg look like a puppet from Thunderbirds or Captain Scarlet?
While I wish the best for Nico, unless he wins the championship I don’t see how having Schuey as a teammate can work for him. Even if he manages to dust off Shuey, people will assume it is because of MS’s age and physical condition, regardless of the true relative perfomance between the two.
[...] the new Mercedes paintjob Let’s have a look at it (picture taken from Joe Saward’s blog): The new Mercedes F1 livery for [...]
Look at the photo and wonder, what is Nico thinking?
Dr. Dieter Zetsche apparently attended the event in the company of his moustache….best facial hair in the automotive industry since Keke’s walrus ‘stache.
[...] Mercedes launches Mercedes GP Today at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, the German car manufacturer launched its new “Silver [...] [...]
Hi Joe, I think the designers have done a great job integrating the not-so-nice Petronas blue into the overall Silver Arrow scheme. Subtle but with good brand recall. Nice touch on the rims too… Re: Sanding paint – good tale and far more romantic than someone hacking bits of bodywork from Stoddard’s Minardis in Melbourne a few years ago!
Cheers
Murray
On the subject of the paint issue, I am probably doing too much and have not read the necessary stories about it. Can someone point me in the right direction. I know that there have long been questions about the story – Neubauer’s stories are often like that – but I have not seen a definitive demolition of it, nor indeed an explanation as to why the cars were turned silver. I would be fascinated to know more.
Definitive demolition?
Hitler’s Motor Racing Battles, The Silver Arrows under the Swastika, written by Eberhard Reuss
Pages 139 to 158 offer fascinating proof. The entire book is an extraordinary read.
Alejandro, I had just ordered that book this morning … so thankyou for the positive review, looking forward to reading it.
Why oh why is Schumacher’s helmet still painted Ferrari red, surely this would be a good time to revert to his original German Flag helmet? Is there less weight in red? As for the colour of this Mercedes it looks more like light grey than silver..
“The legacy of the Silver Arrows goes back to the 1934 Eifelrennen when, on the evening before the event, the white paint was sanded off the Mercedes W25 race cars to meet the weight regulations of 750kg formula and the silver colour of the aluminium surface of the car appeared. This season, with the return of the Silver Arrows, the MGP W01 will shine in silver combined with a flow of iridescent silver shading. On the nose and on other parts of the car
traces of black carbon fibre visible are visible.
“joesaward
I was quoting a press release from Mercedes-Benz. As far as I am concerned if they think this is the history, then it has probably been checked up to the full. It may not be true, but how does one prove otherwise?”
Long before the July 2007 Eifelrennen Symposium hosted by Mercedes at their Classic Center in Fellbach, it was clear that it was vey unlikely that the W25 machines were white at the Eifelrennen — or were ever white for that matter. However, after the symposium, there was really very little doubt that the entire tale was simply another myth in Neubauer’s book that no end of journalists — who rarely have any skills as historians, it must be noted — simply parroted year after year after year, never questioning the story.
As one of those invited to the July 2007 Eifelrennen symposium, I have examined no end of material on this matter and it is crystal clear that not only is the paint-scraping story a myth, but it is also clear that the W25 machines were never white in any of their public appearances. Plus, it is doubtful that they were ever white at any point. This conclusion is based upon material gathered from a wide variety of sources, to include information provided by Mercedes.
That Mercedes — or at least their publicists — has dredged up this myth and used it at their car launch is quite disappointing. This essentially turns a myth into an outright lie on the part of Mercedes since they know the truth, and the truth is that the paint-scraping NEVER took place.
Oh, as for .”…how does one prove otherwise?”, quite simple if you are a historian — hard damn work doing the research and sifting through the materials, asking questions then digging for the answers.