Team Mercedes Benz has been dominating the race track in the current hybrid era of Formula 1. The German car manufacturer has been one of the most successful team in motorsport not only in the present but also in the past. With such an elaborate motorsport history, Mercedes has produced a number of iconic race cars. The W196 streamliner, for instance, the car which was driven by the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss in the 1950s. However, if you were to travel further back in time, you would meet the legendary W125 race car, which was first driven around race tracks in 1930s. Current Mercedes Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas took this legendary car for a spin on a modern circuit, do have a look.
Motorsport is and will always continue to be a dangerous sport, however, a car like the W125 will show you how cars have become safer over the years. Unlike modern F1 cars, the W125 did not have a protective halo over the drivers head or a strong carbon fibre shell. The drivers back then did not even strap themselves down to the car with something as basic as a seatbelt. Helmets too were not present and with such a light car, sending way over 600 horsepower to the skinny rear tyres, Bottas is a hundred percent correct to say, “You need big balls to drive a car like this.”
Also Read: FIA Tests A New 50% Scale Model Of The 2021 Formula One Car In A Wind Tunnel
Talking about the race car, the W125 came with a 5.6-litre straight-eight cylinder, supercharged engine which not only did sound so glorious but made quite some power. With more than 600 horses available, the car sent the power to the rear wheels via a 4-speed gearbox. It is interesting to note that the car had to weigh less than 750 kg in order to compete in the Grand Prix races. More than 8 decades old, a very few people would be fortunate enough to touch the car, let alone drive it. While it sure may have been quite the experience, Bottas would be soon returning to his modern car, which shall be racing at the Belgium Grand Prix this weekend.