Hermann Lang and Rudolf Caracciola duly finished 1-2, thrashing the field despite no testing, and the cars were never raced again. Two were taken to Tripoli - one of which was finished on the boat in transit - and they were the only non-Italian machines in the race. ![]() But in complete secrecy Alfred Neubauer's team developed the new 1500cc supercharged W165, a V8-engined, scaled-down version of the V12 W154 GP car. That effectively banned the dominant GP Mercedes and Auto Union cars, in theory leaving the way clear for the Italian teams, chiefly Alfa Romeo with its new 158 - which would go on to become the first F1 world championship-winner in 1950. The Italian organisers of the 1939 Tripoli GP announced the race would be run for 1500cc Voiturettes (very roughly akin to Formula 2) rather than the usual grand prix rules mere months before the event. The fact that both the 1908 French GP-winning Mercedes and the double title-winning W10 of 2019 narrowly miss out on making our list underlines the quality of the machinery that has come out of Stuttgart (and the current F1 base in Brackley) - and the longevity of an automotive legend. We've extended the usual remit beyond F1 to reflect Mercedes' long history in motorsport but used the usual criteria: level of success, innovation and importance, and 'X factor'. How Mercedes overcame latest F1 rules threat. ![]() The greatest Mercedes you've never heard of.Despite the fact that it has spent long periods away from GP racing, such is its strike rate that there are plenty of candidates for the 'greatest Mercedes' list.
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