How Mercedes Mastered a New Era:

Ten Years On From Our First F1 Constructors' Title

F1 engines don't come together overnight, and in the case of 2014, teams were kept on their toes, as Hywel explains.

"We initially started the concept in 2011. Back then we were working on an Inline Four engine, but the regulations changed, and we were then looking to build a Vee Six.

"We got stuck into that project in 2012."

Soon after, it was time to bring Brackley into the picture.

"Discussions about how we were going to combine with Brackley got going in earnest early in 2013. We discussed in detail how we were going to integrate the power unit into the chassis," says Hywel.

"You have to consider if you are going to make compromises on the power unit or the chassis and work out how you are going to make it all come together. That was a heavy focus in 2013."

'Total Fear'

As Hywel and the team found out, that project did not exactly fire on all cylinders.

"We were really struggling. We were failing parts left, right, and centre," he says

"There were areas of the technology that we just could not get to work, and going into 2014 there were some key elements that we still did not have a good grasp of."

The proof would be in the pudding at the pre-season February test. It was a new dawn for the sport, with an air of unpredictability, and many were excited for what lay ahead.

Heading to Jerez, Hywel was cautious.

"My personal feeling was just one of total angst. That was going to be the first time we had seen the PU on track, and I really was not sure if we were going to get away with it," he adds.

"I did not know if the car was going to be able to get round the circuit.

"I wasn't thinking of the year ahead - all my energy was going into comprehending just how we were going to make the thing work day to day! I had no time to consider what the expectations for the year were."

'No one relaxed at any point in the year'

It was hard to imagine how the start of the season could have gone better. Six straight wins, and five consecutive one-two finishes laid the foundations for what was to come.

But behind the scenes no-one let up

"There was always something that was not quite right," says Hywel.

"It always felt like we were teetering on the edge of disaster, and we were paddling like crazy trying to avoid that.

"No-one relaxed at any point in the year."

Success Across the Board

Perhaps, though - there was a quiet sense of satisfaction in the back of Hywel and his team-mates' minds.

Away from Brackley and the W05, customer teams were also tasting success. McLaren claimed a double podium in Australia. Williams were the only other team to take pole, in Austria - when MB-powered cars claimed a 1-2-3-4 finish at the chequered flag.

The Grove outfit reached the podium nine times throughout the course of the season. In the final standings, all four customers teams finished inside the top six in the championship, with Force India (now Aston Martin) in P6.

"That success really did show us that the power unit was pretty special, even if it never felt like we had the time to reflect on what we had created," says Hywel.

"From a Brackley perspective we worked so closely with the chassis team. The W05 was what we were all about."

When the championship was confirmed in Sochi, celebrations were once again mixed with a sense of relief.

"It was such a battle from race to race, to make sure we kept the performance and the reliability. To actually get there in the end, and hold it all together, was really special," he says.

"It is a fabulous moment to look back on, and remember the celebrations and excitement."

That Was Then, This Is Now

Fast forward 10 years, and it's hard to ignore the sense of déjà vu around the upcoming regulations changes to F1 coming into play in 2026.

"There are similarities, it is a new product, the full power unit" says Hywel.

"We have a similar time span to get the work completed in, and there are a lot of changes to makes."

And the differences?

"The regulations in 2014 forced us into a number of new technologies - there were a lot of firsts - the turbocharger, the turbo electric motor, direct injection, for example.

"We were in a world of unknowns and we had to learn about many elements from scratch.

"The 2026 regulations - with the exception of the sustainable fuel - are not really introducing new technology. It is more about us understanding the opportunities that the regulations contain and making the right technology choices to exploit them."

That will place a focus on process as much as product - another aspect of 2026 planning where Hywel and the team can draw on the past.

"When you run a project of this size, you do not just learn about the technical, but the process as well," he says.

"When do we need to start? How and when do you knit all of the different aspects of the project together?

"How do you go about a project of that size in order to deliver it at the right time with the right level of performance and reliability?"

As F1 projects go, the 2014 Power Unit package certainly did deliver. 12 October, 2014 will be stamped in the memory of those at Mercedes for a very long time.

Pretty soon, the 2026 project will roar into life, with the ultimate aim of reaching those heights again.