This time yesterday was the highlight of the 2015 Formula One season so far – the quartet of Williams & Mercedes diced their way along the home of British motorsport.
At Silverstone, fawned over by most F1 teams in the nearby Motorsport Valley, strong connections between the UK and Germany were clearly visible.
At the end of a captivating 52 laps, British driver Lewis Hamilton was lauded by a swarm of admiring fans after he beat Nico Rosberg and Seb Vettel, both of whom race under German licenses, to plant his flag on the top step of the podium. His British engineer gladly and with no little joy or relief accepted the constructor’s trophy on behalf of the British-German film, as British and German anthems sang out in audio harmony the exemplary teamwork of this successful team.
Mercedes AMG Petronas GP are headquartered in Brackley, the racing arm of Mercedes, headquartered in Stuttgart. The team directors are both German-speaking whilst the strategic director is British, and the two countries have a driver each, using a British chassis centred around a German engine to roar with exultation to victory.
Having won all but one of this year’s races, the Silver Arrows, one of the few teams still in national colours (Germany was white but changed to silver to save weight by scraping off the paint), are one of the most successful constructors of modern times.
At the heart of their story is the connection the team has forged between the UK and Germany. As they prepare for Hungary, let’s remember their ideology – “Das Beste oder nichts!”
Still and Sprudel 