F1 Timeline: Mercedes' rise to dominance

Step #3: Hiring the right people

Niki Lauda played a significant role in driving the team forward

There were always these reports doing the rounds about Mercedes signing up big names one after the other. Aldo Costa, Niki Lauda, Bob Bell, Paddy Lowe and more recently James Allison, among many other names, have been part of the Mercedes unit during their journey.

What helped Mercedes was its ability to pick the right people that fit the puzzle. For instance, Lauda's stint with Jaguar had been nothing short of a disaster, and Aldo Costa although a reputed name was an ex Ferrari employee who was reportedly fired from the team.

What Mercedes was able to do better than their previous employers was give them the environment to express themselves. To their credit, both Lauda and Costa have been instrumental in their own way; Aldo is credited with building the gold standard car of F1 while Lauda was the guy who lured Lewis Hamilton away from McLaren.