FIA Formula 1, F1 - race #11, Mercedes Benz Grosser Preis von Deutschland, Hockenheim 26.-28.7.2019 ! 200th F1 start Silver Arrows - NAANII GLOBAL Luxury/Quality Family Lifestyle MAGAZINE 'en Vogue' - NAANII GLOBAL Quality & Luxury Family Lifestyle - MAGAZINE 'en Vogue'-

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Sixty-five years ago Mercedes’ Formula 1 journey began with a crushing one-two victory in France headed by eventual five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio that established the manufacturer as a technical force to be reckoned with.
And as the Silver Arrows squad heads home to celebrate its 200th F1 start at this weekend’s German Grand Prix, history is repeating.
Seven one-two finishes so far this season, seven wins for five-time champion Lewis Hamilton and a massive 164-point lead in the Constructors’ standings mean that going into this weekend, form suggests that another victory march is in prospect for the home team.

Go back 15 years ago 2004, however, and it was a different German victor sending the Hockenheim crowds wild.
In 2004, Schumi-mania was at fever pitch, and here at Hockenheim, the local hero driver sparked riotous celebrations as he claimed pole position and his 11th victory of a supremely dominant season that would eventually see him take a record seventh world title.

And this weekend, those golden years will be brought back to the Hockenheimring as Michael’s son Mick gets behind the wheel the crushingly dominant Ferrari F2004 to remind fans of when the circuit was a sea of red for as far as the eye could see.

Ahead of his historic run, FIA Formula 2 star Mick explains what it means to him to drive one of his father’s finest, and why it’s a major change from racing his dad around the garden…

This weekend, Schumi-mania will once again explode at the German Grand Prix as a Schumacher blasts around Hockenheim in a title-winning Ferrari.
This time around, though, it will be Mick Schumacher at the wheel of his father’s F2004, and the young F2 driver explains why he can’t wait to bring back the glory years for F1 fans in Germany.
You're driving the F2004 at Hockenheim. Can you imagine how that will feel?
' I think it will be special. I have a lot of good memories of Hockenheim, particularly from winning the Formula 3 European Championship there last year, and to drive this car around there on a Grand Prix weekend is pretty amazing. I’m already very excited. I just hope everybody will have as much fun as I will.'

What kind of reception are you expecting from the crowd?
'I hope they will be equally excited. The F2004 is a symbol of great times for Formula 1 in Germany and I imagine that some of the spectators will have flashbacks to those times. I will do my best to help spark those good memories and I’ll try to make sure that everybody has a great time! '

What kind of preparation can you make for driving it? Does it require any familiarisation?
' I would have loved to be able to do some preparation laps but unfortunately I just will have to wait and see. We’ll do a seat fitting on Saturday morning of the race weekend but I am sure it will work out fine. In the end, it will be demo-laps for pleasure, and I would really like to thank the owner of the car and Ferrari for giving me the opportunity.'

You were just five-years-old when your father was winning in the F2004, do you have any memories of those races?

'To be honest I don’t. Obviously I know what he achieved in the F2004 and that he won the German Grand Prix that year  but I think I was too young to take it in. I’ve seen the highlights but I have to admit I don’t really have any memories of it. I more recall our races at home in the garden!'

You've driven your dad's Benetton B194 and this weekend it will be the F2004. Is there another of his cars that you'd really like to drive?

'Since the F2004 was such a dominant car it will be thrilling for me to find out how it feels to drive it. It’s going to be exciting to experience the power of the engine, and I am very curious to understand how cars from that era feel on track. In terms of others, I think all of them would be interesting to drive!'

Your F2 season is well underway now. How do you think it's gone so far and what have you learned from the seven rounds to date?

'It‘s been a pretty rocky season so far, with a lot of things happening which had been out of my influence unfortunately. I guess this is what builds experience. There is a lot to learn in terms of tyre management or working with a bigger team and even in terms of the scope of the Ferrari Driver Academy. I’m enjoying it a lot, though, and I look forward to more racing and battling in the upcoming events.'



Mercedes make it to a double century at their home race, Sebastian Vettel prepares to reach double digits in Germany, and Lewis Hamilton targets yet another record at the Hockenheimring…
This weekend’s home race for Mercedes will be the manufacturer’s 200th Formula 1 world championship Grand Prix start as a constructor. '


Mercedes made its F1 debut at the 1954 French Grand Prix, entering a trio of W196 models. Immediately successful, Juan Manuel Fangio took pole position a second ahead of team-mate Karl Kling with the third car of Hans Herrmann in seventh.
Fangio went on to win the race with Kling scoring one-two for the team in its first race. The team raced in F1 for just two seasons before withdrawing as a constructor until its return in 2010.
Sixty-five years and 95 further wins on, the one-twos are still coming with seven scored so far this season.

This will be Sebastian Vettel’s 10th home Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver first raced at the German Grand Prix in 2008, driving for Toro Rosso.
Starting from ninth on the grid he scored a point with an eighth-place finish. Vettel has won his home Grand Prix just once, in 2013 when racing with Red Bull Racing.
That win came at the Nürburgring.
At Hockenheim he has a best finish of third, in 2010, again with Red Bull Racing.

Victory on Sunday would give Lewis Hamilton the record for most German Grand Prix wins. He currently shares the record of four with home legend Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton first won this race in 2008 with McLaren. With the Woking team he added another victory in 2011 and then won in 2016 and 2018 with Mercedes.

On the current grid, Vettel is the only other German Grand Prix winner.

Ferrari is far and away the most successful constructor at the German Grand Prix, with 21 race wins. The Italian marque won the first world championship German GP in 1951, with Alberto Ascari victorious. Ferrari’s most recent win was in 2012 when Fernando Alonso stood on the top step (pictured).

While the Scuderia is 12 wins ahead of closest rival Williams at the German GP, it’s a closer contest at Hockenheim, with all of Williams’ wins coming at the Baden-Württemberg track.

Lewis Hamilton’s march to victory last year from P14 on the grid was an impressive feat, but the honour for winning from the lowest starting position goes to Rubens Barrichello.

Driving for Ferrari, the Brazilian won from a lowly 18th place on the grid. Barrichello overcame rain, safety cars and a track invasion to take the first of 11 career wins at Hockenheim.

FIA Formula 2 star Mick Schumacher may be in action at Hockenheim this weekend, driving his father’s Ferrari F2004, but there will be no F2 or FIA Formula 3 action taking place in Germany. Instead, the drivers from both championships will be hard at work preparing for the Hungaroring which will host the next rounds a week later – none more so than Schumacher’s fellow Ferrari Driver Academy talents Robert Shwartzman and Marcus Armstrong in F3.

With 114 points, Russian racer Shwartzman has a slender 12-point lead at the top of the F3 Drivers’ Championship following five podium finishes, including two victories, in the opening four rounds of the category. The 19-year-old will no doubt be raring to go after recharging his batteries, having failed to notch a win at either the Red Bull Ring or Silverstone.

PREMA Racing stablemate Armstrong will likely use the halfway point of the F3 season to take stock. The New Zealander is currently fourth in the standings with 77 points, 37 behind his teammate at the top. The 18-year-old has enjoyed a strong 2019 campaign so far, spending a combined total of 97 laps inside the top three positions (Shwartzman has 71), but has only been able to notch three third-place finishes. The speed is undoubtedly there, and Armstrong will be desperate to turn that pace into more points when F3 returns to action at the Hungaroring next month.

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