Racing

1894: Benz and Daimler cars were in what is considered to be the first car race, from Paris to Rouen.
1908: Grand Prix cars were limited to ≥1,100kg, raced at Dieppe.
white
1908 Mercedes 12.8-litre 4-cyl.
 
1926: Daimler and Benz merged to form Mercedes-Benz.
 
1934: The new (≤) '750kg' Grand Prix (GP) class first saw duels between Mercedes and Auto Union.
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1937 W125
 
1954: Mercedes entered the new Formula One (F1) category (2.5-litres non-supercharged) with the W196 and drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling. Fangio won the drivers' championship after switching from Maserati during the season.
silver
1955 W196
1955: Mercedes drivers Fangio and Stirling Moss finished 1-2 in the drivers' world championship.
1955: At the Le Mans 24-hour race, the Mercedes 300 SLR sports car of Pierre Levegh crashed into a spectator stand killing 79 people. Mercedes subsequently withdrew from all forms of motor racing.
 
slver
a 1955 300 SLR
 
1984: Mercedes entered touring car racing.
1985: Mercedes began supplying engines for Sauber racing sports cars.
1989: The Sauber-Mercedes of Mass, Dickens and Reuter won the Le Mans 24-hour race.
1994: Mercedes began supplying F1 engines to Sauber and, in 1995, to McLaren.
2009: F1 engines were supplied to Brawn, Force India, and McLaren. Brawn won the constructors' championship and their driver Jenson Button won the drivers'.
 
2010: Mercedes bought Brawn, the 2009 winning F1 team, to form the Mercedes GP team.