World Drivers' Championship:

How Kimi Added His Name to the List of Mercedes Winners

Mercedes has been racing and winning for more than 125 years. Victory achieved in the great classics and championships – with many remarkable drivers creating Grand Prix history at the wheel of machines from Stuttgart, Brackley and Brixworth.

Ten times across Formula One the World Champion Driver has raced to glory with Mercedes-Benz. On each occasion it has been the realisation of a dream, through dedication and brilliance. Moreover, the four men who have achieved this ultimate accolade are remarkable champions.

This is how legends have claimed the world at the wheel of a racing Mercedes-Benz.

1954: Juan Manuel Fangio - The Best or Nothing

The return of Mercedes-Benz to Grand Prix racing after 15 years was greatly anticipated by racing fans, and viewed with concern by rivals. However, the team in Stuttgart knew that they would need the very best driver for The Silver Arrows' Formula One debut.

Juan Manuel Fangio – from Balcarce, Argentina – was tough, but a gentleman and a sensitive mechanic. These qualities, combined with immense talent, made him a formidable racing driver and, in 1951, World Champion for Alfa Romeo.

When he raced the stunning, streamlined Mercedes-Benz W196 to a debut victory at Reims that July, Fangio set course towards his second World Championship. It may have been a rocky road – as Mercedes worked hard to find their stride – but time and again the great Fangio made the difference, against fierce opposition from Ferrari.

From the stunning arrival at Reims, to dominance at the Nürburgring, Bern and Monza; four times Fangio beat the rest to the chequered flag aboard his Mercedes.

Juan Manuel Fangio – the first Mercedes-Benz World Champion Driver.

1955: Juan Manuel Fangio – Light and Shade

If 1954 was the year of discovery for Mercedes, 1955 was a year of authority. Once again Juan Manuel led the team to glory with victories from Argentina in January, to Monza in September. His innate speed and judgement allied with the Mercedes W196.

Only twice was Fangio beaten in the World Championship F1 races of 1955. Once when the team suffered technical issues at Monaco, and once when his young team-mate raced to victory at Aintree. Even then, Fangio was right on Stirling Moss' tail – the inverse of how they had raced right across this remarkable season.

The great man would win the World Championship twice more, but sadly never again at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz. The tragedy at Le Mans in 1955 signalled the end of the Mercedes works team in Formula One. However, Juan Manuel had set the highest of bars – if, when, Mercedes-Benz were to return to F1.

2014: Lewis Hamilton – Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man

Some eyebrows raised when Lewis announced his move from McLaren to Mercedes. Since their return to Formula One, Mercedes had won races, but the World Championship still seemed an ambitious target. Then came Formula One's hybrid revolution.

Mercedes had prepared exceptionally well, and Lewis, like Fangio before him, shaped the Mercedes' performance to his will. But opposition was tough, particularly as it came from within.

The mighty battle with Nico Rosberg in the Bahrain night not only thrilled fans, but set the scene for a new era.

Four consecutive wins in Malaysia, Bahrain, China and Spain put Lewis to the fore, and wins from Monza to Austin should have made him certain of the crown, but still we got a championship showdown.

It all came down to Abu Dhabi, where uniquely the last race of the season had double-points on offer. In the end it mattered little as Lewis judged pace and car preservation to perfection – to win his 11th Grand Prix of the season, and the World Championship.

Hamilton, successor to Fangio as World Champion of The Silver Arrows.

2015: Lewis Hamilton – The Champion Sets the Standard

Winning a world championship is difficult, defending it is quite another challenge. In 2015 Lewis Hamilton unleashed a campaign that echoed Fangio in '55 – a masterclass in relentless dominance.

With the formidable W06, Lewis asserted authority over the entire field from the opening race – taking 11 pole positions and 10 race victories across the 19-race calendar.

But statistics paint a limited picture, for as always this was a season full of emotion and brilliance. Prime example was Lewis' touch and instinct through the storm at Silverstone. This riotous home win was a wet-weather masterclass that echoed Schumacher, Senna and Caracciola.

The championship crowning moment came with three races to spare, at a dramatic, tense race in Austin. Lewis now three-time World Champion – to equal his idol.

"For me, the target was always to get the three that Ayrton had. He wasn't from the same country, but he was the guy that inspired me as a youngster. Now I'm like, 'Where do I go from here?' There is no one else I'm looking to equal or emulate."

Now there was now no doubt that Hamilton and Mercedes combined formed a colossus. The challenge for the rest was to understand how – if – they could be beaten.

2016: Nico Rosberg – the One That Meant Everything

The 2016 F1 season is a tale of redemption – of Nico's dedication in practical, physical and psychological preparation to become world champion.

After two consecutive championship defeats by his team-mate and old friend, Nico planned and prepared to show the world every ounce of his talent, as the counter was set to zero for a new season. Before in fact, as Nico had finished the previous year with three wins on-the-trot. Now in this new season he romped to victory in the first four races, building a massive points and psychological cushion.

But Lewis is also relentless, and the rising pressure and rivalry exploded in a collision at Barcelona-Catalunya that left the two Silver Arrows broken at the track side – clearing the way for Max Verstappen's first victory.

This season-long battle between the two Mercedes drivers pushed them to extraordinary lengths and performances. And as Lewis fought back, Nico continued to meet the challenge through drives like his dominant win in Singapore.

This one was always going to have a grandstand finish – a showdown – and under the lights at Abu Dhabi we were not disappointed.

The two Mercedes led from the start – Lewis from pole to the chequered flag. But he knew this would not be enough. Nico just needed to finish on the podium to be champion – and so Lewis controlled the race pace, to back Nico into the grasp of their rivals.

But Nico had worked too hard and come too far to be beaten now. With every ounce of his skill and craft he held on to second place – and when he crossed the line with Vettel and Verstappen right on his tail, the World Championship was his.

"Nico was a true fighter. To beat Lewis Hamilton in the same car is the hardest job in motorsport. He changed his entire lifestyle, lost weight, worked on his mind, and proved to the world that he has the true heart of a champion." - Niki Lauda.

At the FIA Gala, five days after the flag had flown at Abu Dhabi, the world discovered what Mercedes had learned just three days before: Nico Rosberg was retiring, with immediate effect.

There were new worlds to conquer – he had given all and written his chapter in motorsport history.

2017: Lewis Hamilton – The Three-Pointed Star Versus The Prancing Horse

The huge regulation changes for 2017 ushered in a dramatic season that pitted two champions and two grandee marques against each other. After Nico's shock retirement, Lewis found himself facing an external foe – locked in battle against the resurgent Scuderia Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel.

The two great champions traded race wins through much of the early part of the season, with neither giving an inch. Pressure rising and rising until it exploded at Baku – Vettel driving into the back of Lewis' Mercedes as the Safety Car was ending. Still, despite this, with more than half the season played-out, Vettel held a small lead in the Championship – the vastly improved Ferrari gaining an edge on the “diva” Mercedes.

The summer break however proved a watershed. Mustering all his resolve and capabilities, Lewis stormed to win after win – from Spa to COTA, winning five of the six races. This relentless pressure cracked the opposition, and Lewis took command of the championship.

With everything to play for in Mexico, Vettel took pole position – vital to his championship chances. But when the lights went out Verstappen grabbed the lead. Vettel fought back, but hit Verstappen's Red Bull, as Lewis closed on them both. The melee left Vettel with a smashed front wing and Lewis with a rear puncture.

The pair, dead last, returned to the fray with their damaged machines and raced hard. But at the flag Vettel's fourth place was not enough. Lewis had broken his rivals with a stunning run of results. Now, he was doing doughnuts in front of the grandstands – four-time World Champion!

"Lewis this year drove like a god. He made absolutely zero mistakes...” – Niki Lauda

2018: Lewis Hamilton – The Race to Five

In 2018 Lewis delivered what is likely his greatest performance, as the two great champions, Vettel and Hamilton, raced to see which could first attain five World Championships.

Faced with a Ferrari boasting new-found power, Lewis not only had to dig deep to extract performance but also operate at an exceptional level – to punish the opposition's every error. At season's end he had secured 11 poles and 11 wins, including an unbelievable pole lap and victory at Singapore.

Vettel may have held the championship lead but, as in the previous season, Lewis' brutal pressure was relentless. Something had to give, and it did at Hockenheim. As the rain fell, Vettel's crash and Lewis' win from 14th on the grid was a tipping point. The 'Race to Five' was now resolutely heading in one direction – the Vettel and Ferrari challenge was raced into submission.

By clinching his fifth championship in Mexico, Lewis matched Juan Manuel. Now no longer merely a great champion driver, Lewis was now a sporting icon.

"This has been the toughest year of my career, hands down. To fight a Ferrari team that was faster than us for large parts of the year required a level of perfection I didn't even know I possessed. Matching Fangio is just completely surreal – he’s the godfather of our sport." – Lewis

2019: Lewis Hamilton – The Art of Consistency

In 2019 Lewis delivered a masterclass in consistency to claim his sixth Drivers' World Championship – on the brink of matching Michael Schumacher's all-time record.

Valtteri – in “Bottas 2.0” guise – mounted a strong early challenge as the two Mercedes drivers finished 1-2 in five consecutive races. But Lewis was not only a winning machine, he had devastating consistency – extracting the maximum from the machine and every circumstance. Not least in Canada – just days after Niki Lauda's passing – where Lewis provided a defensive masterclass to take an emotional win. An object lesson for the rising generation of Verstappen and Leclerc.

Lewis would win 11 of the season's 21 races, scoring a record 413 points, and wraping up the championship at COTA. A season utterly in his control.

"If someone wins the title six times, they deserve every bit of it. Lewis has been the benchmark all year long. To compete against him is a privilege, and you can only congratulate a performance of that magnitude." – Vettel

2020: Lewis Hamilton – Seven, as The World Stops

The COVID-19 pandemic stopped the world as F1 began to turn a wheel for the 2020 season. When racing returned, in a heavily compressed 17-race calendar, the world got to see what the greatest F1 driver could achieve with the greatest F1 car.

The striking, black W11 was devastatingly fast, and Lewis used it to dismantle the field – victorious 11 times, and taking 10 pole positions. Utter dominance.

In such a season, with such a car and driver, records are sure to fall and legend created. At Portimão, Lewis smashed Michael Schumacher's record of 91 F1 race wins, but the conclusion of the British Grand Prix will live forever as a piece of F1 iconography.

Lewis entered the final lap at Silverstone with a 34-second lead over fast-charging Verstappen, when the left-front tyre on the Mercedes began to lose pressure along the Wellington Straight – then at Brooklands it failed completely.

With Verstappen hunting him down, Lewis had no choice but drive on – for over two miles, through the brutal high-speed section of the classic circuit. Out of the final corner on three wheels – showers of sparks in his trail – Lewis dragged the Mercedes across the line to win... by just under six seconds.

This unique, remarkable championship was decided in Turkey, and it was entirely fitting that it was a flawless wet-weather drive through the field that sealed Lewis' seventh World Championship. Equalling Schumacher, and joining him at the summit of motorsport.

"To all the kids out there who dream the impossible, you can do it too, man! I believe in you guys. Thank you so much, everyone, for your support. Seven is just completely unimaginable." - Lewis

2026: Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Generations

The 2026 Formula One season has witnessed a generational shift, with the meteoric rise of 20-year old prodigy Kimi Antonelli.

Nurtured within the Antonelli and Mercedes families; Kimi was the natural, if bold, choice to fill the vacancy left when Lewis Hamilton moved to Scuderia Ferrari. Should that not seem a monumental enough task, the hopes and dreams of Italy rest on his young shoulders. It would be understandable if this had overwhelmed him somewhat – instead, he toughed-out his debut season, thrived, and has danced his Mercedes to World Championship glory. The youngest ever – and the first Italian Drivers' World Champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

It's hard to imagine a more significant – more historically and culturally important – achievement in international motor racing. It's hard to imagine a more joyous champion.

As in past eras, Mercedes have been on top of the dramatic new regulations introduced for 2026. But more than that, Kimi embraced the technical, strategic and aerodynamic quirks and challenges of this new Formula One – dominating races and the competition in a playful way, that makes these new cars look organic.

In this regard, perhaps his most impressive drive was at the Italian Grand Prix; where, following a grid penalty, he raced from 19th position to win. Leading home a Mercedes 1-2 at Monza – as the Tifosi roared for him. The first home winner of the Italian Grand Prix since Scarfiotti in 1966.

The how of his championship success is a fantastic run of nine victories that created and maintained an early-season championship lead, and that ultimately saw him line up for the Mexican Grand Prix with a massive 123-points lead over his team mate.

Needing only a top-nine finish in Mexico, Kimi drove a mature, calculated race. It was apparent early that this was the day of his coronation – if the racing gods would allow.

When, following a red-flag restart, Kimi mugged Charles Leclerc to claim third place, everyone knew that we were about to witness remarkable scenes. Sweeping past the chequered flag, overcome with emotion, the new World Champion wept as he parked The Silver Arrow to embrace his family. And on a podium for the ages, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton hoisted the youthful champion onto their shoulders – generations of heroes.

Mercedes racing history has included many great drivers of Italian heritage: Caracciola, Fagioli, Fangio, Taruffi, – but perhaps none have been as full of life and promise as our new World Champion.