The chassis was named "F1 W05 Hybrid" to represent the fifth Formula One car that Mercedes had constructed since , while the hybrid was marked to recognize the utilization of fully integrated hybrid power units. The car made its competitive debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2014 season. After participating in 18 rounds of Grand Prix racing, the car made its final competition appearance at the season finale race – the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, before retirement. As the first Mercedes F1 car of the hybrid era of the sport, this was the car that kick-started an unparalleled period of utter dominance by Mercedes in the sport that has lasted for over seven years (as of 2021), delivering Grand Prix wins for Hamilton, 20 for Rosberg (until 2016) and (since 2017) for Valtteri Bottas.