"Does anyone know why they play the German national anthem when Mercedes win?": Jeremy Clarkson's post on social media goes viral

Popular TV personality, Jeremy Clarkson's month-old X post recently went viral where he queried the reason behind playing the German National Anthem whenever Mercedes wins a Grand Prix. The question has caught the attention of F1 fans.

In every F1 Grand Prix podium celebration, two national anthems are played: one for the winning driver, and the other for their team. The anthem depends on the nationality of the driver and the original country to which the team belongs. Hence, the German National Anthem is played whenever the Silver Arrows win a race.

Back in July end, the former Top Gear presenter posted that if Mercedes engines and cars are made in the UK, why does the German National Anthem play when they win an F1 race?

"Does anyone know why they play the German national anthem when Mercedes win? Because the car and the engine are made in the U.K," Clarkson said.

The post received a lot of traction on X with over 27,000 likes and 1600+ comments. Many fans reacted and explained how the cars are built in the UK, but the Silver Arrows was originally a German automotive company.

As for Mercedes, their performance at the start of the 2024 F1 season was subpar. They have gradually bounced back to the top, especially during the European leg of races before F1's summer break.

George Russell won a race in Austria, while Lewis Hamilton broke his 945-day winless drought at his home GP in Silverstone. The seven-time world champion won the Belgian GP as well.

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Former F1 test driver reckons Mercedes could be back in the fight after their recent resurgence

McLaren Formula E driver Sam Bird recently talked about Mercedes' recent race wins. He believed the Silver Arrows could be back in the game after their slow start to the 2024 F1 season.

Speaking on BBC's Chequered Flag podcast, Bird explained how the Brackley-based team won two races in seven days, referring to the Austrian and British GPs. He added that the team made the right calls and both drivers were quick as well as lucky at times.

“Mercedes going forward, they’ve just won two races in seven days. They’ve had a brilliant week since Austria. Look, I think George Russell was fortunate to win in Austria, to be honest. He was nailed down for a third place. Lewis Hamilton deserved to win that race today," Bird said.

"He made the right calls at the right time, and he was quick. He was quick at the right times and right there when it mattered. I think Mercedes, dare I say it and I’ll whisper it, Mercedes are back. They’re most definitely back in the conversation," he added.

As of now, Mercedes is in fourth place in the constructors' standings with 276 points. They are chasing third-placed Ferrari (370 points) and second-placed McLaren (404 points).