On Sunday, 19 May seven-times Formula 1 world champion Michael
Schumacher will take to the track before the start of a 24-hour race in Germany. Schumacher will post a demonstration lap on
the Nürburgring's legendary Nordschleife in a Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 W02 to
say 'thank you' to his fans for their years of loyal support during his F1
career.
This will be the first time since Juan Manuel Fangio's victory on 1st
August 1954 that a modern Formula 1 Silver Arrow has driven on the Nordschleife
at the Nürburgring.
Schumacher covered part of the Nordschleife in the last Formula 1 grand
prix at the Nürburgring in July 2011, however, that was in a Mercedes-Benz
Silver Arrow Stromlinie W196. The W196 was the first Formula 1 Silver Arrow
that took Mercedes-Benz to two world titles with Juan Manuel Fangio in the 1954
and 1955 seasons. During this period, including his success at the Nürburgring,
Fangio achieved eight wins in all.
Long before the start of the Formula 1 world championship in 1950,
however, there has been a close connection between Mercedes-Benz and the Nürburgring;
an icon was born on 3 June 1934 when the Silver Arrow had its first outing on
the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife in the International Eifel Race.
The car was silver because mechanics had worked through the night to
strip away the white paint of the brand new Mercedes-Benz W25 racing car, so as
not to exceed the maximum permissible weight. The next day, Manfred von
Brauchitsch won the W25's debut race, beginning the legend of the Silver Arrows.
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