Brixworth is a large village located between Oxford and Silverstone in the county of Northamptonshire. Despite its modest size, it is well known to anyone involved or interested in Formula 1. That's because Brixworth is the traditional home of racing car manufacturers and racing car engine constructors. It's also the site for Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines (HPE).

The company was founded as Ilmor Engineering Ltd. in 1984. Mercedes-Benz acquired an initial stake in Ilmor in 1994 and played a key role in the company's further development, which culminated in the inauguration of a new Technology Centre in 2007. HPE supplies its current FO108X Formula 1 engine to its own MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula 1 works team and to two other racing teams: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Force India. Eight engines are supplied to each driver during the season.

Every year, the knowledge and expertise of company engineers is put to the test once again. Changes to Formula 1 rules and competitors who never sleep compel engine developers to come up with increasingly innovative solutions – including the use of light yet resilient materials and building engines that combine power with durability. Yet despite their passion for technology, engineers still prefer to see evidence of their success standing on the winners' podium.