The car was the successor of the Mercedes AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+, continuing the approach with increasing the exposure of Mercedes' electric road car models, whilst AMG was included to reflect the relationship between Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz. The chassis also continued its numbering as F1 W09 to represent the ninth Formula One car that Mercedes had constructed since 2010. The car made its competitive début at the 2018 Australian Grand Prix, the opening round of the 2018 season. After participating in 21 rounds of Grand Prix racing, the car made its final competition appearance at the season finale race – the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, before retirement.