Why the Formula 1 Mercedes is the greatest sports team in history

Forget the drama of the final race of the 2021 Formula 1 season if you can.

Whether you believed Lewis Hamilton was stripped of the title or not.

Now is the opportunity to reflect on an era of dominance that we witnessed at Mercedes.

Since 2014, Formula 1 has followed the same engine regulations known as the turbo-hybrid era.

The regulations will change in 2022 and a new era will dawn for the sport, but sports lovers should remember what they have experienced over the past eight years.

The sport is full of historically great teams and dynasties.

The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s ruled basketball, as did the West Indies test cricket team in the 1980s.

Manchester United from 1998 to 2001 may be the greatest club football team of all time, and the All Blacks from 2008 to 2015 redefined excellence in the sport.

And although the debate about the “greatest sports team of all time” will never end, I can tell you that no sports team has been more impressive than the 2014-2021 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

In the turbo-hybrid era there were eight drivers ‘and eight constructors’ championships.

That’s 16 world championship titles, of which Mercedes has won 15.

In the first three years of the era, Mercedes were sometimes ridiculously better than their competition.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg ushered in the era of Mercedes domination. (Reuters: Maxim Shemetov)

Race after race, country after country, either Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg seemingly led their silver car to victory – they were their only real competition.

At the end of 2016, Nico Rosberg retired after winning his only drivers’ championship and Valtteri Bottas took his place.

Unlike the Bulls, who lost Michael Jordan to baseball, the loss of the reigning world champion in retirement didn’t stop Mercedes from winning.

Grand Prix wins kept coming back as the team came up with new plans for the builder as his trophy cabinet needed to grow.

Valtteri Bottas ensured that Mercedes won five more constructors’ championships after Rosberg’s resignation.Getty Images: Mark Thompson)

And then came the 2018 season and Mercedes finally had a challenger, Ferrari.

Led by the four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, the famous Italian team was supposed to overthrow Mercedes from the throne.

Ferrari apparently had a faster car, their engine was just as powerful, and they had a driver who was as good or even better than Hamilton.

Ferrari would reign supreme in Formula 1 again.

Nobody told Mercedes anything about it.

The Silver Arrows did not become complacent after four years of domination. They didn’t throw in the towel when all looked lost in mid-2018.

Max Verstappen wins F1 world championship

A late safety car opens the way for Verstappen to win his first world title with a bold overtaking maneuver on the last lap, which denies Hamilton the chance to win an eighth record championship.

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They regrouped and unleashed a tsunami of excellence that simply overwhelmed the competition.

From mid-2018 to 2020, Mercedes was probably at its peak.

Lewis Hamilton never looked like he was going to lose the drivers ‘championship, and Mercedes was on a different lever in the constructors’ race.

Ferrari, Renault and Honda tried to make an engine as good as Mercedes – they couldn’t.

McLaren, Red Bull and Williams tried to make a car as good as Mercedes – they couldn’t.

Racing Point (now Aston Martin) thought it would just be easier to copy.

In the most competitive and selfish four wheel motor sport in the world, Mercedes was the best and seemed to have enjoyed beating some of the greatest racing teams into submission.

And that’s what makes this team so great.

Led by Toto Wolff and led by the greatest driver of his generation, Hamilton, Mercedes had a will to win greater than any other sports team that has ever existed.

They celebrated racing victories in 2020 just as exuberantly as they did in 2014 when they finally won their first title.

Winning was an addiction. They couldn’t get enough of it and never got tired.

Then came 2021 – the closest and most competitive season in the history of the sport.

Mercedes finally had a worthy opponent who would fight to the bitter end – and boy was it bitter.

Lewis Hamilton congratulates Max Verstappen after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. (Getty Images: Lars Baron)

In July, Max Verstappen led the drivers’ standings by 32 points over Hamilton.

In four remaining races of the season, Verstappen was 19 points ahead.

But Hamilton and Mercedes never give up. They accepted the challenge. They seemed to thrive on it.

It was almost like they had waited eight years for the opportunity for someone to play with them from head to toe for an entire season.

They got their challenge at the end of the era and they were up to it.

They won the constructors ‘championship for the eighth time in a row and lost the drivers’ title by 2.2 seconds.

And don’t forget, it was only a safety car that brought Verstappen back into this race in Abu Dhabi.

Eight years of near perfection, with only one calamity beyond their control that prevented them from claiming a clean F1 title throughout the era of the sport.

This is a form of dominance to be amazed at and, in my opinion, the greatest sports dynasty ever put together.

Long live Mercedes, the greatest sports team in history.