Formula One in pole position

West Midlands-based fabricator and installer, Formula One Group, has been relying on Mercedes-Benz trucks since it began trading 24 years ago.

The recent investment in two more vehicles, means the company now runs a fleet of five Atego 7.5-tonners, all of which were supplied by Midlands Truck & Van.

The Formula One Group commenced manufacturing operations in 1998, at the head office in Walsall that it still shares with associate business Rapid Frame. From the outset, Formula One sold its products nationwide on a supply-only basis. However, since opening a retail branch in Telford in 2009 it has also carried out installations at more than 2,500 homes across Shropshire and the West Midlands.

The company’s latest Atego are both 818 variants with 5.1-litre four-cylinder engines that produce 177hp and drive through six-speed Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated manual transmissions.

Their ClassicSpace S-cabs have optional ventilated driver’s suspension seats with integral armrests and were finished at the Mercedes-Benz factory in Deep Black. Likewise the trucks’ roof-mounted air deflectors and box bodies, which are by Fred Smith & Sons, of West Bromwich.

Purpose-designed for light- and medium-duty distribution work, and construction applications, the Atego range from 7.5 to 16 tonnes.

Formula One owner and managing director, Martin Corcoran, commented: “It’s imperative to the success of our business that we honour the delivery commitments we make. We’ve always relied on the Atego because we know it won’t let us down. Ours average 75,000 miles a year but we still have a 2016-registered truck that’s now covered 1.2 million miles and continues to do a great job, day in, day out.

“In addition to its fantastic build quality the Atego is very smooth and comfortable, which is crucial given the distances our drivers have to cover,” Martin added. “It’s also fuel-efficient, cost-effective to operate and, being a Mercedes-Benz, the safest vehicle in its weight class.”