Oamenii din spatele mitului Mercedes-Benz

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Hermann Lang - 06.04.1909 - 19.10.1987


Born in 1909, Lang’s career started like many other drivers, on motorcycles. While the majority of the other drivers exchanged two wheels for four, Lang exchanged 3 wheels for four, having competed in sidecar competitions. He would later comment that this gave him an advantage, as the cornering characteristics were similar to cars. The economic difficulties that gripped Europe during the early thirties saw Lang unemployed. He fell back on the trade that got him started that of a mechanic. Daimler-Benz for their Experimental Department hired him just as work on the Silver Arrows had begun. After testing the cars at Monza, Jakob Krauss, the Foreman asked Lang if he was the same man that had driven sidecars. Answering in the affirmative Lang did not think much more of this conversation. Krauss would later become his advocate within the team, later having Lang transferred to the test department where he would drive countless miles testing production cars.
Lang initially was assigned as one of Luigi Fagioli’s racing mechanics. While bedding in the brakes of the Italian’s racecar Lang had a chance to drive the car at close to racing speeds. He liked how it felt. Later back at the factory he was called into Neubauer’s office and was told that Krauss had recommended that Lang be given a trial as a racecar driver.

It was through this simple act of kindness by Krauss that a new career was launched. He did well at the trials and later became a reserve driver in addition to his mechanics duties. In 1935 he competed in several races and was able to learn gradually. Both Caracciola and von Brauchitsch looked askance at the mechanic trying to be a racecar driver and unfortunately this was to color their future relationship with their future teammate. Caracciola especially would feel challenged by this upstart, though his reputation as one of the greatest drivers of all time was secure it is never easy for an older athlete to pass the torch to a younger generation. Arguments between the two drivers would continue the rest of their time together and only the intervention of Neubauer would allow for any teamwork. Lang would later say of Caracciola: "Whatever may have come between Caratsch and me, there’s one thing that I must admit quite frankly – he was always my ideal, the greatest driver of them all. There was a tremendous elegance in his driving that no one else equaled. I never stopped studying and admiring him."


Caracciola and von Brauchitsch were drivers from the old school who did not involve themselves in the mechanical workings of their cars. Lang being a mechanic was very much in tune with his cars and thought nothing of grabbing a wrench in later years when he became successful. For this the mechanics adored him and would think nothing of presenting "their" driver with something extra when they prepared his car.
1936 was a lost year for Mercedes but Lang was still able to demonstrate his potential, which made him, sought after by both German teams. He new Prof. Porsche and was asked by him to join Auto Union. Lang stated that since it was Mercedes that gave him his first chance he felt a loyalty to the team, which was rewarded with a new contract.
The team for 1937 would be made up of Caracciola and von Brauchitsch as the senior drivers and Lang joined by Englishman Dick Seaman as the junior drivers. The team would stay divided by this division and it was Neubauer that kept the team from tearing itself apart. The season started at Tripoli, which Lang won by 10 seconds over Rosemeyer for his first victory. At Avus the team prepared some streamlined cars with full bodywork. During practice they tried the cars with wheel covers.
Lang was driving one of the cars at close to 400 km/h when the front of the car began to lift and all that he could see was the sky! not a good thing. Slowly, he reduced speed while keeping the front wheels straight. For what seemed like ages he was driving the car on only the two rear wheels before the fronts finally touched down as if landing a plane. Returning to the pits white-faced he convinced the team to remove the wheel covers for the race. When the race was run it was the reluctant aviator Lang that crossed the finish line first.
At Brno in Czechoslovakia Lang had his only bad crash of his career when he slid on gravel thrown onto the course by other drivers and flipped his car. Lang was thrown clear and was lucky to escape with only cuts; two spectators were less lucky and died when the car continued out of control to where they had been standing. Any accident involving spectators would bring legal difficulties that were only resolved after the war.


The 1938 season began at Pau with the famous win by Dreyfus in his Delahayes. This was the first season for 3-liter cars and Auto Union was not ready in time for the race. Tripoli was next and still no Auto Union; the death of their star Rosemeyer deeply effected the team. Land won his second race at Tripoli in succession. Reims was up next and Auto Union was there but without Rosemeyer or Stuck and both cars crashed on the first lap!
At the Coppa Acerbo Lang suffered an incident that almost had tragic consequences. A rod broke on his car, which in turn severed his fuel line. The spilled fuel caught fire and Lang was just able to jump free of the moving car as his overalls caught fire.
After rolling in the grass his close or what was left of them had been extinguished. Just then Rene Dreyfus, who was suffering from transmission problems, drove by and the two of them returned to the pits. The Mercedes team upon seeing their missing driver leapt with joy.
Lang was fully competitive with the other drivers except when it came to rain. Caracciola was the accepted regenmeister but Lang was still not comfortable in those conditions. It took extra practice under the tutelage of Neubauer in order for Lang to gain more confidence. 1939 Belonged to Lang and as the final race approached he was in the lead for the European Championship. The last race was the Swiss GP, which he won after a duel with Farina in an Alfa and Caracciola. Lang also won the German Hillclimb Championship that same year. Lang was at the peak of his career winning five of the eight races entered but the war interrupted his career and by the time it was over he had lost what should have been his best years. His last major victory came at the Le Mans 24 Hours race in 1952 while driving a new Mercedes 300 SL.

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Richard Seaman - 14.02.1913 - 25.06.1939



Seaman was born into a wealthy family and developed an enthusiasm for motoring in his childhood. After studying at Rugby School and Cambridge University,[1] in 1934 he resolved to become a racing driver and took his MG car to the European mainland to gain experience. He won the Voiturette race of the Swiss Grand Prix event at Bremgarten at his first attempt. He won other small races for ERA and eventually Mercedes team chief Alfred Neubauer invited him for a trial at the Nürburgring. Both Silver Arrows teams used to have at least one foreign driver, if available.
In 1937 he signed for Mercedes-Benz against the wishes of his mother, who did not want him to drive for a "Nazi" team. Having a solid start to his career with Mercedes in 1937, he excelled in the 1938 season - he won the 1938 German Grand Prix and came second in the 1938 Swiss Grand Prix. In December 1938 he married Erica Popp, the daughter of the director of BMW, again against his mother's wishes.
Leading the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps during a wet race, he crashed his car into a tree during lap 22. It is thought he was using a line through a corner that was only normally used in the dry. On his death bed he remarked to the Mercedes chief engineer, "I was going too fast for the conditions - it was entirely my own fault. I am sorry".[2]
He died some hours after, at just 26 years of age, as Mercedes' only fatality during that time.
After Seaman's death, Mercedes-Benz dealerships worldwide were ordered to display his photograph in their windows. Richard Seaman was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery in London and his grave is maintained by Mercedes-Benz to this day.

Seaman was one of the greatest pre-war Grand Prix drivers from Britain.
He famously drove for the Mercedes-Benz team from 1937-1939 in the Mercedes-Benz W125 car, winning the 1938 German Grand Prix in the presence of Adolf Hitler (who is said to have stopped attending races after that).


Born on 4 February 1913 to wealthy parents, Seaman fell in love with cars as a schoolboy. He would spend endless hours drawing pictures of racecars including a Seaman Special. As soon as he was old enough to get a license his parents bought him a Riley sports car and later replaced it with a MG Magna. Seaman was enrolled in Cambridge at this time but his heart was in cars. He entered several local races with minimum success.
In 1934 he returned from school and announced to his distressed parents that he would not be going back. Instead he was joining Whitney Straight and his racing team. He purchased Straight’s MG Magnette and set off for the continent making his debut in the GP de L’Albigeois where he promptly stalled on the grid. The next race was a Voiturette event, which preceded the Coppa Acerbo. On that difficult 36-km circuit he finished a commendable 3rd place. His first victory came in a support race leading up to the Swiss Grand Prix where he started from the ninth row of the grid to take the lead on the 11th of 14 laps.
His victory was marred by the death of his teammate Hugh Hamilton.
Seaman was supported all the while by his reluctant mother who had taken over the families finances due to the ill-health suffered by his father. His father died on 3 February 1935 and for the rest of his life there would be battles with his mother, first over his racing and then over his marriage. Seaman meanwhile had purchased an ERA but found the Bourne outfit unable to support his car effectively. He decided that he needed to establish his own team. The most important person in this new team was Giulio Ramponi who used to work for Alfa Romeo and knew everything there was to know about a racecar. The effect was immediate and Seaman began a string of victories that brought him to the attention of the factory teams.
For 1936 Ramponi recommended that Seaman purchase a 10 year old Delage from Earl Howe. Feeling that the car was obsolete he was incredulous at first but Ramponi saw in the car the potential to dominate the 1500 cc class. Howe was more than glad to sell the car and all the spare parts that he had. Ramponi went to see Monsieur Lory at Delage and was given plans and some new parts to bring the Delage up to date. The car was stripped and modified extensively. One of the strengths of the car in addition to its drivability was its fuel consumption, which allowed it fewer pitstops than the opposition.


The car and driver were the sensation of the 1936 season and awaiting him upon his return to London was a telegram from Daimler-Benz requesting his attendance at an upcoming driver-trial at the Nurburgring. Seaman impressed Alfred Neubauer with his fluid driving style and was asked to return for more tests. Seaman’s mother was concerned as he was regarding the political implications of an Englishman driving for a German team. He sought advice from friends at the RAC as well as Earl Howe. They told him that this was an opportunity that should not be passed up and that if things got worse he could always resign. In December he signed a provisional contract for 1937 subject to the approval of Adolf Hitler which would be given.

His debut race was in Tripoli where he lay 2nd to Lang prior to suffering supercharger trouble which dropped him to seventh. Seaman became a popular member of the team because of his honest, straightforward character. Neubauer took a strong liking to the young driver. Seaman’s first year with Mercedes was solid if not spectacular. The mechanics were impressed with his mechanical knowledge, which he relayed through Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who spoke fluent English. 1938 marked the beginning of the new 3-liter formula and because he was still the junior driver on the team a new car was not ready for him until the German Grand Prix in July. During his forced "holiday" he met his future wife Erica Popp whose father was President and co-Founder of BMW. Seaman’s mother was at first friendly to the young German girl until she found out that her son intended to marry this girl. She was violently opposed to the marriage, more for the problems she felt that her son would encounter for marrying a very young German girl than for any personal animosity she had towards her. Sadly Seaman became estranged towards his mother until his death.

Finally the German Grand Prix arrived. For this race the Mercedes team had no fewer than seven of the new W154s during practice. Seaman was quick to shake off any rust and was third fastest during qualifying. Seaman was second to von Brauchitsch until his German teammate suffered a car fire during a pitstop. Seaman assumed the lead that he would hold until the end. This victory would mark the highpoint of his career for an Englishman on the victory podium of a major European race was still a rare thing, the fact that he was driving a Mercedes in Hitler’s Germany made it rarer still! The next race that he drove in was the Swiss GP where he came in a fine second to Caracciola. After another successful season that saw him win his first race he was re-signed for the 1939 season.
At the opening race he had to stand down, as there were only two new cars ready. The next race, the Eifel GP ended seconds after it began for Seaman when he suffered a failed clutch. Going to Spa in Belgium, Seaman was determined more than ever that he should no longer be considered a junior or reserve driver. The race was run in a downpour and on lap nine even the regenmeister Caracciola spun. On the tenth lap Seaman took the lead while the rain had stopped. With the track both wet and dry at various places experience would have told the driver that this condition could be the most dangerous.
Seaman could only think of the first two races of the year and was out to prove that he was second to none on this or any other team. At La Source Seaman’s car went into a skid and left the track, crashing sideways into a tree. The driver’s compartment had been damaged and as the car burst into flames the driver was trapped. Two Belgian officers pulled the driver clear but he was to die from his burns just after midnight.
Neubauer would relate in his memoirs that it was a familiar story: "Ninety-nine times a driver takes a bend at precisely the same angle and precisely the same speed. Then the hundredth time he wants to go one better, to cut one second off his time and puts a shade more pressure on the accelerator. That shade is fatal."



At his funeral were representatives of both Mercedes and Auto Union and the board of directors at Mercedes decreed that in all of the display windows of their dealerships would be placed a portrait of the only driver ever to be killed driving one of the Silver Arrows.