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ESPN staff
Mercedes has teased the first pictures of a one-off livery that will run on its cars at the German Grand Prix to celebrate the brand’s 125th year in motorsport.
The German car giant is the title sponsor of this weekend’s race at Hockenheim and is using the event to celebrate 125 years since a Daimler engine took part and won the first car race between Paris and Rouen. In order to mark the event, the F1 team will run an altered livery that features a traditional Mercedes badge on the nose and appears to incorporate white paint — Germany’s traditional racing colour — with this year’s silver and green paintwork.
Mercedes has not released a full image of the design, but used its social media channels to tease the new paint job.
“This year’s race is a very special event: we’re the title sponsor of the Mercedes-Benz Großer Preis von Deutschland and the race will mark the 200th start for Mercedes in Formula One,” team boss Toto Wolff said. “We will also celebrate a remarkable anniversary in Hockenheim: 125 years of motorsport.
“In 1894, the world’s first car race was held from Paris to Rouen and the winning machine had at its heart an engine manufactured to the design of Gottlieb Daimler. It was the start of a great motorsport tradition that continues to this day and we are incredibly proud to write the next chapter in this legacy. We will run a commemorative livery to pay tribute to our heritage.”
Despite winning nine of the first ten races, Wolff believes his team will face a tough challenge on home turf as temperatures are forecast to be as high as 38C early in the weekend. Mercedes struggled with cooling issues at the Austrian Grand Prix when temperatures hit 35C and Wolff is taking nothing for granted in Hockenheim.
While there is much happening off track, our primary focus remains our on-track performance. The weather forecast predicts high temperatures, which were extremely challenging for us in Austria, so we must stay vigilant. Like Spielberg, Hockenheim is also a relatively short circuit, which will close the gaps between different teams. We will stay humble and work hard to achieve the best possible result.