Now that it’s been sold to Mercedes, Brawn GP as a constructor becomes all the more remarkable, having won the championship in its only year of existence. It got me thinking: does that secure it the title of most successful Formula 1 constructor ever – in terms of percentage of races won?

The short answer, according to data stripped from Wikipedia, is no. The longer answer is more interesting. Honestly.

Interesting because the constructor with the highest percentage of races won seems to be Mercedes, having entered 12 races over the 1954 and 1955 Formula 1 seasons, winning 9 of them. That’s a staggering 75%, which makes Brawn GP’s 47% seem paltry by comparison.

This creates an unusual competition between the team’s former and new guises. With 19 races in 2010, Mercedes Grand Prix needs to win 6 to keep ahead of Brawn GP. But assuming Mercedes is in it for the long haul, Brawn GP seems guaranteed to inherit the spurious title eventually.

It’s worth looking further down the percentage won table too. Another 1950s team, Vanwall, is third, having won 31% of its 29 races.

We’re into more familiar territory after that: Ferrari (26%), McLaren (25%) and Williams (22%).

Another name from the 1950s making a return in 2010 ranks 7th: Lotus. Team Lotus won 16% of its 493 races between 1958 and 1994. I don’t think it would be unfair to suggest that the new Lotus F1 team will struggle to match that success rate in the near future.