Page 1 of 1 Bolstered by a breakthrough victory during the 2012 season, team principal Ross Brawn continued building up the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 team. Added to the staff were talented engineers Aldo Costa, Geoff Willis and Mike Elliott, while Toto Wolff took over from Norbert Haug as Vice President and Lewis Hamilton joined Nico Rosberg as driver. The first result of the restructured team was the Mercedes-Benz W04 Grand Prix car. It was the fourth car produced in Brackley after the German manufacturer had taken over. The W04 was also the last powered by the naturally aspirated V8 engine as the sport was ramping up to adapting a more efficient hybrid-turbo drivetrain.
The W04 was built around a carbon-fibre composite and aluminium honeycomb monocoque with the compact V8 engine and seven-speed gearbox serving as fully stressed members. The in-board springs and dampers were actuated by push-rods at the front while the rear-suspension boasted pull-rods for aerodynamic efficiency. The FO 108F V8 was assisted by a mild hybrid system, good for 80 hp. As per the regulations, the a very wide front was mounted under the raised nose while the tail boasted a relatively narrow and tall wing.
With Lewis Hamilton taking the seat vacated by Michael Schumacher, the German team started the season with a strong driver line-up. As during the previous three seasons, the Red Bull team had the edge. Hamilton scored a podium finish in only his second outing with the team and Rosberg took the first win of the year at the Monaco Grand Prix. He won again at Silverstone and then Hamilton scored a victory in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Although the W04 scored no more wins, at least one Silver Arrow finished in the points at every Grand Prix and the team ended the year a much improved second in the Constructors' Championship.
Heavily revised regulations were introduced for the 2014 season and the all-new W05 proved to be able to deliver the final push needed to dominate the sport. With three wins, the W04 was the most successful Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix car of the 2.4-litre V8 era and it helped Hamilton score his first of dozens of victories with the team. Page 1 of 1
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Bolstered by a breakthrough victory during the 2012 season, team principal Ross Brawn continued building up the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 team. Added to the staff were talented engineers Aldo Costa, Geoff Willis and Mike Elliott, while Toto Wolff took over from Norbert Haug as Vice President and Lewis Hamilton joined Nico Rosberg as driver. The first result of the restructured team was the Mercedes-Benz W04 Grand Prix car. It was the fourth car produced in Brackley after the German manufacturer had taken over. The W04 was also the last powered by the naturally aspirated V8 engine as the sport was ramping up to adapting a more efficient hybrid-turbo drivetrain.