After confirming its entry into Season 6 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in July last year, the German marque will take its motorsport know-how gained through its experience in other series, such as Formula One and the DTM, to the track under the name of the Mercedes EQ Formula E Team.
“Formula E is a unique series with some very specific challenges for its teams," said Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. "We know the level of competition is extremely high and we will approach the challenge with energy and humility. There can be no other approach when we are up against ten competitive manufacturers, many of whom have years of experience in the series,” he added.
The heart of the new car will be developed at Mercedes-AMG High-Performance Powertrains (HPP) in the UK. The Brixworth technology hub is the Daimler Group - Mercedes' parent company's - centre for high-performance hybrid technology, making systems that have won multiple world championships. Capitalising on that expertise, the team will use the centre to produce the electric motors and powertrain for the Mercedes EQ Formula E Team.
Here, the in-house engineers have been working on high-performance electric vehicle projects for more than a decade, the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive electric super sports car which was developed jointly with Mercedes-AMG and the most-recent Project One hybrid road car.
Alongside the tech, the Mercedes EQ Formula E Team will call on the expertise of HWA AG in Affalterbach, which will run its trackside race operations. HWA has traditionally been responsible for design, development and operations of the Mercedes-AMG Motorsport DTM cars. The record books show that HWA is the most successful team in DTM history with ten drivers’, 13 team and six constructors’ titles.
“The combined know-how of the Mercedes family at Affalterbach, Brixworth and Brackley provides the perfect foundations for our new Mercedes EQ Formula E Team. I cannot imagine a better combination to take on this kind of project,” said Wolff.