The secrets and tricks behind Mercedes' F1 domination

Mercedes has often made the process of winning seven world championships in a row look straightforward from the outside. But the truth is never quite that simple, and it certainly wasn't ahead of the debut of the V6 turbohybrid engines for 2014. While Mercedes hit the ground running that year and has been dominant ever since, stories from behind the scenes in the lead-up to 2014 show how much trouble it was in at various times before that year's W05 hit the track. And once the team was winning, it potentially unleashed its greatest trick, which rivals have only recently cottoned on to.

READ MORE HERE
1) The incredible origin story of the Mercedes F1 era

2) How Mercedes designed F1's best car but kept it secret

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#F1 #Mercedes

[joshsmith]

I'd love a video about the ferrari engine situation. How they ended up being so competitive and how they fell from glory so hard this season

[yossimoskowitz]

their biggest strength is clearly their organisation/toto. the Ferrai's of 2017/18 where really good designs and the fact that mercedes adopted some of it into the 2019/20 car says a lot, the way they have managed the drivers and whole team during the season combined with a lot of mind games won them dose tow years.

[bfapple]

"Vettel won nine races on the spin" surely that was intentional.

[DannyPlaysStuff]

This is what I like about the engineering culture inside the Brackley factory. They insist on long-term success instead of short-term gains, they already prepared for the next challenge several years ahead while the rivals still trying to put effort for one season only....

[sgt]

I love how when Mercedes dominates everyone hates on them but its truly amazing how far ahead of the competition they continue to stay at. Not an easy feat year after year.

[Addyboy]

every other f1 team especially red bull: the 2014 mercedes chasis was good
mercedes: always has been

[y_fam_goeglyd]

Very interesting. I was wondering how the changeover from Brawn had gone on behind the scenes. Despite the problems they had up to 2014, there was always that sense that when they made their breakthrough, the car would be championship material. What we didn't know was how important Toto would be to the team's success.

One of the things I've admired most about the team is, actually, the management. Don't get me wrong, of course I admire the drivers and their amazing skills. That goes without saying. I also admire without reservation everyone who's been a part of actually building the car and power train, from the designers to the apprentice spanners (mechanics, for those who don't know the term), even all the auxiliary staff whose jobs make the car builders' jobs possible.

However, from what I've picked up over the last decade, specifically in this era of hybrid cars, the management style is such that every team member - and by that I mean everyone who works there - is given the opportunity to do their job without interference, are allowed to have ideas (and that is such a rare thing in business! I know to the cost of my frazzled nerves...), and the introduction of a no-blame culture. Second to that no-blame culture - which any business worth its salt should adopt immediately if not sooner - is their "what could we have done better?" debriefings after every race. With so many front of grid lockouts and 1-2 finishes, it would be so easy to kick back and enjoy the moment. I've seen teams go down that route. "We did it this way and succeeded, let's not change a thing!" It's an understandable and enticing process, but sitting on one's laurels is likely to end up with you getting a sore bum.

Toto has always framed his words in a positive way. Not "right, what went wrong?" but "what can we improve on?" That mindset is a) easier on the nerves of everyone involved and b) the emphasis on the "we" means the team feel like the management are looking at themselves too. That is beyond valuable for the best atmosphere in any workplace and is far more likely to help find even the smallest improvements if no one's going to blame you for not being perfect to begin with. He's well aware that no one is perfect, but he does expect them all to pitch in and do the very best they can, regardless of their tasks (that request for the one site to work an extra 10 hours a week, and getting the agreement is a good example).

If something goes wrong, he doesn't send out anyone else but always speaks to the press and the buck stops with him. I may have missed it somewhere, but _I've_ never heard him say anything bad about his team, drivers included. He may say, if pushed, that a person (driver or otherwise) didn't have the best race, or words to that effect, but that's as far as I've heard him go. I would have killed for a boss like that when I was working!

Don't underestimate how important he is and has been in regards to turning this team into the dominant one it is today. He's permanently under the impression that another team could come and start taking away their future success, so first thing on Monday, they have that "what's to improve?" meeting. I absolutely believe him when he talks about motorsports, whether it's in general, about another F1 team or his own. You cannot fake his passion for the sport, it's just not possible.

[LordandGodofYouTube]

This was a great video guys! This must have taken a while to get together, well done, great job!

[lolosity]

Racing point:
“Write that down, write that down”

[nicovanos]

One of the best videos on F1 since years.

[jonnyscott]

Ross brawn:how is that engine going to fit in the car
Mercedes:: we'll make it fit
The rest of f1 good luck with that:
Mercedes:told you it would fit.

[AandTPlays]

Mercedes: "Pulled a sneaky on ya"
RedBull: 👁👄👁 w u t

[AlonsoRules]

The fact that a team like this can still come up with incredible innovations like DAS just shows how good they are

[siimtokke]

RB still only has a short-term view. They still develop their car deep into the season even when it is clear they don't have a chance to win any titles.

[ryannaidoo]

@THERACE please can keep up this content 🙏, really enjoying it, would like to see Renault next

[AlvinWillistonDavis]

awesome video, now waiting for the comments of "its just the car, not the driver" even as in the video they show where Merc offset everyone else by having drivers so good they could hide the cars cornering performance and the quality of the chassis. It is in fact a drivers car and the drivers input made it what it is.

[Lovecars]

It seems unbelievable that Mercedes was the only Team that worked like a proper company would work in the free economic market back than.
Implementing a proper project management back in 2011 for 2014, developing best practice and business cases for the engine development and the leadership to make a team of thousands of employees work together for one common goal is astonishing. This should be a best practice example for companies too.
This shows why strategic planning is so important. You gain a performance gap to your competitors and if you keep on working, you gain for years to come.
As well as I hate to see Mercedes dominating F1 since seven years now, as well do I admire how well Mercedes did prepare for the Hybrid era and how well everything was planned, done and implemented.

[eriknaamot]

It"s incredible to know, that they started their engine dev, a full year earlier than any other team!

[jwiggs]

This is quite possibly the best piece you guys have produced thus far. There is a lot of people who need to watch this that think they understand the sport.

[jankuschef]

This should be a feature length film. Also, if I worked for Mercedes from 2010-2014, I'd wanna win as many championships as possible.