It all started in 1934, after a GP test. from the pre-F1 World Championship era - officially created in 1950 - on the legendary German Eifel Circuit, THE NÜRBURGRING, where Von BRAUCHITSCH, the star driver of the MERCEDES team, won with insolent ease and by beating the track record on the occasion of an international event, called: the EIFELRENNEN!
Thus, in 1934, the International Association of Recognized Automobile Clubs (AIACR), ancestor of the FIA that we know today, requires that vehicles do not weigh more than 750 kg, without fuel, oil or coolant and without tires. It was that same year that Mercedes-Benz developed the W25. Classically designed, it had rear-wheel drive, driven by a supercharged 3.4-liter in-line 8-cylinder engine, mounted at the front and producing a power of 354 hp (260 kW).
But now, Manfred von Brauchitsch's Mercedes-Benz W25 weighs 751 kg the day before the EifelReinen. Alfred Neubauer, then at the head of the competition within the German manufacturer, decides to sand the body of the car which was painted white, revealing the gray of the aluminum, there were only the mechanics who were dressed in white. Lightened, the W25 can engage in the famous race. Manfred von Brauchitsch won the next day, breaking the track record with an average speed of 122.5 km / h.
The Mercedes-Benz W25 remained in competition until 1937, the last year of the 750 kg regulations. Over the years, it has been steadily developed. Its engine experienced a leap forward, passing at the end of the period to 4.7 liters maximum, for a power of 475 kW (646 hp).
F1 1934 - The white Mercedes turned silver with all the Staff in 1934 - © Mercedes