Mercedes reveal special white F1 car livery for German GP

Mercedes has revealed the special one-off livery that will adorn its Formula 1 cars at this weekend’s German Grand Prix.

The German manufacturer is running a commemorative livery to celebrate 125 years of motorsport, a landmark which was reached earlier this week, as well as its 200th grand prix start at Hockenheim.

After teasing aspects of the design, Mercedes fully unveiled its one-off livery on Thursday ahead of the 11th round of the season in Germany.

The design features a pure white front wing and nose, which blends into the team’s current 2019 livery towards the rear of the W10, with white paint peeling off to reveal flecks of the silver underneath.

The special Hockenheim livery is an homage to the design of classic Mercedes-Benz racing car, which were traditionally white. 

"The white nose and front wing also feature historic logos from Mercedes-Benz, PETRONAS, Tommy Hilfiger and Pirelli as well as Niki Lauda's signature to pay tribute to the racing legend, chairman and friend of the team who passed away two months ago," Mercedes explained in a statement. 
 
"In the barge board area at the front of the chassis the white paint seems to be "scraped off", exposing the silver livery below. This effect echoes the legendary origins of the Silver Arrows. In 1934, the Mercedes-Benz W 25 competed in the 750 kg formula; however, legend has it that it was slightly too heavy before the race, so the team scraped away the white paint to save weight, exposing the metallic bodywork underneath it. 
 
"Towards the rear of the car, the paint scrape effect fades away, showing the original paint job of the 2019 Mercedes-AMG F1 W10 which includes the Mercedes-Benz brand pattern that the team has run all season. 
 
"The team's race garage has also been redesigned for Mercedes' home race at Hockenheim and features historic race posters from different eras in which the Silver Arrows competed."

Mercedes says it has "one more visual surprise" planned for the German Grand Prix.