The Mercedes-Benz W196 (sometimes written as the Mercedes-Benz W 196 R) was a Formula One racing car produced by Mercedes-Benz for the 1954 and 1955 F1 seasons. Successor to the W194, in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss it won 9 of 12 races entered and captured the only two world championships in which it competed.

Firsts included the use of desmodromic valves and Daimler-Benz developed mechanical direct fuel injection adapted from the DB 601 high-performance V12 used on the Messerschmitt Bf 109E fighter during World War II.

The 3-litre 300 SLR was derived from the W196 for the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season. Its crash at Le Mans that year ended not only its own short-lived domination but also spelled the end for the W196. Mercedes pulled out of competitive racing in 1955 and did not return for another three decades.

By its introduction at the 1954 French GP the 2.496cc desmodromic valves straight 8 delivered 257 bhp.

The W196 was the only F1 car with such advanced fuel technology, giving it a considerable advantage over the other carburetted engines. Variable length inlet tracts were experimented with and four wheel drive considered. An eventual 340 bhp at 10.000 rpm was targeted for the 2.5-litre F1 motor.

A conventional open-wheel-version was introduced for the most important race on the calendar for Mercedes: the German Grand Prix.

As the Monza, with its streamlined body, was really only suited for high-speed tracks the open wheel version was introduced.

The W196 was the only F1 car with such advanced fuel technology, giving it a considerable advantage over the other carburetted engines. Variable length inlet tracts were experimented with and four wheel drive considered. An eventual 340 bhp at 10.000 rpm was targeted for the 2.5-litre F1 motor.

The Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid is a Mercedes-Benz Formula One racing car designed and developed under the direction of Paddy Lowe, Aldo Costa, Geoff Willis, Loïc Serra, Russell Cooley, John Owen, Mike Elliott and Jarrod Murphy to compete in the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship. The cars were driven by Nico Rosberg and the reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who remained with the team for a sixth and third season, respectively.

The chassis was named "F1 W06 Hybrid" to represent the sixth Formula One car that Mercedes had constructed since 2010, while the hybrid was marked to recognize the utilization of fully integrated hybrid power units.

The F1 W06 Hybrid was the successor of the highly successful F1 W05 Hybrid, which has been described as one of the most dominant in the sport's history. The new car was seen as an evolutionary design, with Lewis Hamilton declaring that "it is difficult to pick up any differences" between the two.

The performance of the F1 W06 Hybrid was one of the most dominant in any F1 season, earning 703 constructor's points out of a possible 817; they lost just 114 points across the whole season (earning 86.0% of points available). Both cars finished on the podium for 9 consecutive races, matching the record held by Ferrari – from the 1952 Belgian Grand Prix to the 1953 Belgian Grand Prix.

The team finished the season with 703 points, breaking their own record of 701 points set the previous season for most constructor points in a single season.