Mercedes has overtaken Ferrari as the most successful engine manufacturer in Formula 1 history, bringing an end to a 22-year run at the top for the Italian marque. George Russell's win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix marked the 252nd grand prix victory for a Mercedes-powered car, edging past the 251 wins Ferrari had accumulated since Charles Leclerc's triumph at this year's British Grand Prix.

Mercedes' story in grand prix racing began in dramatic fashion when Juan Manuel Fangio won the 1954 French Grand Prix on the marque's debut in the sport. The German manufacturer went on to secure nine wins before pulling out of racing altogether following the tragic Le Mans disaster in 1955, a withdrawal that kept Mercedes power away from Formula 1 for more than four decades.

The brand's return finally came in 1997, when David Coulthard drove a McLaren fitted with a Mercedes engine to victory at the Australian Grand Prix, the manufacturer's 10th win overall. At that stage, Ferrari had already amassed 108 victories, despite going through a difficult stretch during the early and mid-1990s.

Ferrari continued to build its advantage, moving past Ford Cosworth for outright supremacy when Michael Schumacher won the 2004 British Grand Prix, Ferrari's 180th victory. Over the following two decades, the Scuderia pushed its tally to 251, while Mercedes had reached only 99 wins by the start of F1's turbo-hybrid era in 2014.

That regulation shift proved to be the turning point. Since 2014, Mercedes-powered cars have claimed 153 grand prix victories compared to just 29 for Ferrari, a dramatic reversal that ultimately allowed Mercedes to close the gap and move ahead.

Notably, Mercedes' total has been built across multiple teams, including its own works outfit, McLaren, Brawn GP and Racing Point, whereas Ferrari has taken 250 of its 251 wins with its own factory team. The solitary exception belongs to Sebastian Vettel, who remains the only driver to win a grand prix with a Ferrari engine outside of a Ferrari chassis, having done so at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix while driving for Toro Rosso with a customer power unit.

The milestone cements Mercedes' status atop the all-time list of engine manufacturers, a remarkable turnaround for a brand that spent more than 40 years away from the grid before returning to eventually surpass Ferrari's historic dominance.

Source: racingnews365.com

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