Formula 1: Mercedes pull off historical feat not achieved since 1992

By Asher Fair | Apr 14, 2019

SHANGHAI, CHINA - APRIL 14: Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit on April 14, 2019 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

With their 1-2 finish in the Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes pulled off a historical feat that had not been achieved in Formula 1 since the 1992 season.

After a winless 2018 Formula 1 season, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Valtteri Bottas opened up the 2019 season by winning the Australian Grand Prix. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who started this race from the pole position alongside Bottas in second place, finished behind Bottas in second.

While the season’s second race, the Bahrain Grand Prix, appeared to be slated to result in a 1-2 finish for Scuderia Ferrari, issues involving both of their drivers, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel, prevented that from taking place. Mercedes capitalized, with Hamilton earning his first victory of the season and Bottas finishing behind him in second place.

Most recently, in the season’s third race, the Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes achieved their second front row lockout of the season, but this time with Bottas on the pole position and Hamilton in second place.

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Hamilton took the lead from Bottas at the start of the race and never looked back, earning his second consecutive victory and his second overall victory of the season by leading all 56 of the race’s laps. Meanwhile, Bottas finished behind him in second place.

By winning this race, Hamilton made the 2019 season the first season since the 2016 season that has featured Mercedes drivers winning each of a season’s first three races. In the 2016 season, eventual champion Nico Rosberg, won each of the first four races for the Brackley-based team.

But perhaps more notably, Hamilton and Bottas completed Mercedes’ third consecutive 1-2 finish to open up the 2019 season in the Chinese Grand Prix. In fact, their 1-2 finish was their fourth consecutive 1-2 finish going back to the 2018 season finale.

Prior to the Chinese Grand Prix, no team had started off a season with three consecutive 1-2 finishes since Williams pulled off this historical feat in the 1992 season. Nigel Mansell won each of the season’s first three races, and his teammate, Riccardo Patrese, finished in second place behind him in each of them.

While Mercedes are set to go for their fourth consecutive 1-2 finish to open up the season in the next race, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Williams failed to pull this off in the 1992 season. Mansell won the season’s fourth race, but Patrese was forced to retire.

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In fact, Williams are the only team aside of Mercedes to start off a season with three consecutive 1-2 finishes, so if Mercedes are able to secure their fourth consecutive 1-2 finish to open up the 2019 season, they would become the first team in Formula 1 history to do so.

Be sure to tune in to ESPN2 at 8:10 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 28 for the live broadcast of the season’s next race, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, to see if the Silver Arrows can pull off this historical feat at Baku City Circuit in Azadliq Square, Baku, Azerbaijan.

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