Mercedes in favor of a closer relationship with Force India or Williams
Mercedes would not be opposed to a closer technical collaboration with one of its customer teams, similar to what Ferrari does with the American team Haas.
Toto Wolff, the Executive Director of Mercedes in Formula 1, is known for closely monitoring the performance of the competition. The noticeable improvement of the Haas team at the start of this season has not escaped the keen eye of the Austrian.
The close collaboration between Haas and Ferrari is therefore a success, and Mercedes might be inspired by this approach to also get closer to one of the teams to which it supplies its engines. “We see that this system works between Ferrari and Haas. And it works well for both. It’s an interesting resource for Ferrari, and in terms of synergy, there is a lot to learn. We see that it has worked well for Haas,” says Wolff.
Force India and Williams would therefore be the prime candidates for this partnership. Lawrence Stroll, Lance’s father and a shareholder in the team led by Claire Williams, has already reached out to Mercedes to make this collaboration happen. However, the leader of the team based in Grove is keen to be regarded as an independent constructor above all else.
But Mercedes will not rush and will not abandon its priority, which remains its factory team currently fighting for the championship: « We are in the midst of a tough battle for the championship this year, so we must maintain our priorities. We can do something for 2019, we have the capability », states the Austrian.
