Mercedes add AMG to F1 team name
The Mercedes-Benz works Silver Arrows team will compete under the name 'Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team' from the 2012 season. As such, the team departs from its earlier 'Mercedes GP' team name thas was in use for two years in Formula One.
AMG is the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz, and has been synonymous with performance, sportiness, exciting driving and motorsport success for more than 40 years. The Mercedes AMG brand is the most successful in the history of the DTM, winning 165 races from 342 since 1988 and securing a total of 32 driver, manufacturer and team titles. AMG has also been continuously active in the world of Formula One since 1996, supplying both the Formula 1 Safety Car and the Formula 1 Medical Car. It is therefore a logical step to strengthen the links between AMG and the Formula One activities of Mercedes-Benz.
Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, said: "Our new team name fuses the proud traditions of AMG and the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows at the pinnacle of motorsport. These three letters are synonymous with high technology, sporting performance and excitement and this step is a further strong sign of the strategic commitment Mercedes-Benz has made to Formula One. 16 of the 24 drivers on the grid at the season's final Grand Prix in Brazil have, or have had, a connection to Mercedes-Benz. In addition to the role of a works team, our commitment to Formula One comprises the customer engine programme and supply of the official Safety and Medical Cars."
The Mercedes-Benz Formula One powertrain facility at Brixworth, UK has worked closely with AMG for a number of years. This wholly owned Daimler subsidiary will now be renamed 'Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains'.
Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, commented: "The Mercedes AMG brand promises 'Driving Performance' - and what better embodies this philosophy than the intense competitive arena of Formula One? It is an historic first for the AMG name to be associated to the works Silver Arrows team, and offers fantastic opportunities: first, to further build the sporting identity of the Mercedes AMG brand through one of the world's most-watched and most successful sports; second, to explore and deliver technology transfer between road and track. This is already being practised with the SLS AMG E-Cell project, whose electric powertrain will be developed as a joint venture between Mercedes AMG and our F1 engine specialists in Brixworth."
The car with which the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team will compete in the 2012 season is currently under development at the team's headquarters in Brackley, UK. Codenamed F1 W03, it is planned for the car to make its official track debut at the second winter test of 2012, on 21 February at Barcelona.
Team Principal Ross Brawn concluded: "We are very proud to reveal our new team name today. It adds another strong performance element to our team's identity and, by virtue of being shared between Brackley and Brixworth, will forge even stronger links within our team. At the factory, we have been focused for some time on the challenge of 2012, and our very clear ambition to move forward up the grid next year. As always, the winter development and manufacturing processes are a trade-off between time for finding performance in the factory, and time for delivering that performance during pre-season testing. We believe that the decision to run the car at the second winter test is the optimum compromise for our design and development programme with F1 W03."
