Mercedes-Benz in Formula One

Constructor

Mercedes-Benz first competed in Grand Prix motor racing in the 1930s, where the Silver Arrows dominated alongside Auto Union, with both teams heavily funded by the Nazi regime. Rudolf Caracciola won three European Grand Prix Championships for Mercedes-Benz after 1934. In 1954, the marque returned to Formula One under Alfred Neubauer with the technologically advanced Mercedes-Benz W196, which could be run in open-wheeled or streamlined form. Juan Manuel Fangio joined mid-season from Maserati for the French Grand Prix on 4 July 1954, where the team achieved a 1–2 victory with Fangio and Karl Kling, plus fastest lap from Hans Herrmann.

Fangio won three more races that year to take the Drivers' Championship. Success continued into 1955, with Fangio taking four races and teammate Stirling Moss winning the British Grand Prix; Fangio and Moss finished first and second in the championship. After the 1955 Le Mans disaster killed Mercedes driver Pierre Levegh and over 80 spectators, several Grands Prix were cancelled, and the team withdrew from motor sport at season's end. During this period, Mercedes won nine races, including three Grands Prix won by the streamlined "Type Monza"—the only closed-wheel car victories in Formula One history.

Engine supplier

Mercedes-Benz returned to Formula One as an engine supplier in partnership with Ilmor, a British independent engineering company based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, later renamed Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. The McLaren partnership ended before the 2015 season and resumed in 2021. For 2026, Mercedes supplies engines to Alpine, McLaren, and Williams alongside its own team.

Junior team

As of 2026, twenty-two drivers have been linked to the Mercedes junior team, with ten still members. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are the only graduates to have driven for Mercedes, Russell since 2022 and Antonelli starting in 2025. Esteban Ocon is the only other former junior driver participating in the 2026 season.

Sponsorships

In December 2009, the team faced a setback when a planned £80m sponsorship with Henkel, signed by predecessor Brawn GP, was found invalid; Henkel claimed unawareness and no interest in Formula One, alleging the deal was made by a former employee on stolen stationery. On 22 December, Henkel announced the dispute was resolved with a mutual agreement and no legal action, though the team would assist the German prosecutor's office. On 21 December, the team confirmed Petronas as title sponsor, based in Kuala Lumpur where Sepang International Circuit is located.

From 2010, the team competed as Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team, with the arrangement reportedly valued at €30m per year. On 28 September 2022, Mercedes and Petronas announced a multi-year renewal from 2026. The livery, unveiled on 25 January 2010 at the Mercedes-Benz Museum, retained Brawn GP sponsor MIGfx. In 2013, a multi-year deal with BlackBerry ended after 2015.

Other partners included Monster Energy, Puma, Swissquote (until 2014), Qualcomm, UBS, Epson, Bose, Hugo Boss (2015), Wihuri (2017), Tibco (2017), Tommy Hilfiger (2018, replacing Hugo Boss as clothing supplier), CrowdStrike and Marriott Bonvoy (2019), Ineos and AMD (2020), TeamViewer (2021), and Adidas (2025, replacing Tommy Hilfiger as clothing supplier).