Who doesn’t love a supercar? F1 drivers in particular, who make a living out of driving the fastest cars in the world on the track, love to get a similar level of thrill off it. However, not everyone on the grid is lucky enough to get an exclusive supercar from their employer.
So, it was natural that Alex Albon was floored to see George Russell’s new ride—the Mercedes AMG-One—which is an exquisite piece of engineering by the Silver Arrows. When Mercedes announced its AMG-One project, which aimed at developing a road car that had F1 characteristics, many drivers on the grid were excited.
Mercedes, however, wasn’t handing out keys to just anyone. They capped production at 275 units—no more, no less—despite receiving interest over four times that number.
Albon would’ve known this, as such luxury cars often become a topic of discussion among the drivers in the paddock. The way the Williams driver was exploring the AMG-One’s interior indicated that he might’ve been a tad bit jealous of Russell. But how has Russell managed to get his hands on this exclusive new whip, that too, a customized one with his racing number painted on its doors?
The list of AMG-One owners from the F1 community is quite exclusive, including Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes driver from 2017 to 2021), Nico Rosberg (driver between 2010-2016), and David Coulthard (a former F1 driver). But they all had just one. Lewis Hamilton, seven-time champion, placed orders for two Mercedes AMG-One cars, one for himself, and one for his dad.
As for the rest of the units from that batch of 275, all of them were pre-booked and sold. So, it’s quite likely that Mercedes have built a new unit for Russell, who is now the lead driver at the Brackley-based outfit after Hamilton’s departure last year. From a marketing perspective, it makes sense that the team’s leader owns their F1-themed road car masterpiece.
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Costing $2.72 million, the AMG One features a 1.6L turbocharged V6 hybrid engine paired with four electric motors, producing up to 1,000 horsepower. It also includes an Energy Recovery System (ERS), similar to those used in Formula 1 cars, which harvests additional energy from braking and heat. The AMG One is aerodynamically engineered to behave as closely to an F1 car as possible and is built on a carbon-fibre monocoque—once again, just like a F1 car.
Albon was lucky to get a chance to drive the AMG-One around Monaco as Russell’s friend, with a video showcasing him in the driver’s seat besides the #63 driver right after he flexed about the new supercar.
Given that Mercedes may have built a new model for Russell, it is quite likely that his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, may also get the privilege of this exclusive Mercedes supercar in the future.
The 18-year-old joined Mercedes as Hamilton’s replacement and is regarded as the next big thing in F1. So, being one of the faces of Mercedes surely warrants access to its most unique road car ever built. Hopefully, he won’t have to wait three years like Russell, who had joined the squad in 2022.
