MERCEDES BECOMES F1’S MOST SUCCESSFUL ENGINE BUILDER AFTER BAKU
Mercedes has become the most successful engine manufacturer in Formula 1 history after George Russell won the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. The victory gave Mercedes-powered cars their 252nd Grand Prix win, moving the German manufacturer one victory ahead of Ferrari on 251.
The record had been held by Ferrari for 22 years. Ferrari moved ahead of Ford Cosworth in 2004, when Michael Schumacher won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Schumacher took victory ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s McLaren-Mercedes, while Rubens Barrichello finished third for Ferrari.
Mercedes had already drawn level with Ferrari earlier in 2026. Kimi Antonelli’s victory at the Spanish Grand Prix brought Mercedes to 251 wins, matching Ferrari’s total at the time. Russell’s success in Baku then gave Mercedes the outright record.
A major part of Mercedes’ total has come from customer teams. McLaren has contributed 101 victories with Mercedes engines, while Brawn GP added eight wins during its 2009 championship-winning season. Racing Point also won once with Mercedes power in 2020.
Ferrari’s total is very different because almost all of its victories have come from its own works team. The Scuderia has raced with Ferrari engines since its first F1 victory at the 1951 British Grand Prix, won by José Froilán González. Ferrari reached its 250th Grand Prix victory at the 2026 British Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc before Mercedes matched the record later in the season.
Mercedes’ history as an engine supplier goes back to its return to Formula 1 in the 1990s. The company supplied engines to teams including Sauber and McLaren before becoming a works team again in 2010. McLaren’s Mika Häkkinen won the 1998 and 1999 Drivers’ Championships with Mercedes power, while Brawn GP used a Mercedes engine when Jenson Button won the 2009 title.
The modern Mercedes works team then became one of the most successful teams in F1. The manufacturer has won eight Constructors’ Championships, with its strongest period coming during the hybrid era that began in 2014. Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have all contributed victories to Mercedes’ works-team record.
Russell’s Baku victory was Mercedes’ 11th Grand Prix win of the 2026 season according to Formula 1’s official statistics. The British driver started from pole position and held off Max Verstappen by just 0.196 seconds after a late-race battle around the Baku City Circuit.
Mercedes now leads the all-time engine manufacturers’ list with 252 victories, with Ferrari on 251 and Ford Cosworth third on 176. The record could still change again during the remaining races of the 2026 season.
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