Cosworth believes: the title is a goal

If the name Cosworth is an integral part of the Formula 1 legend, recent years were marked by disappointment, as the English engines were far from matching the best on the grid. 2006 was the last year during which Cosworth supplied engines in F1. Its partnership was limited to two teams, Toro Rosso, to whom they provided an ‘old’ restricted V10, and Williams, which had a brand new V8. At the dawn of 2007, Cosworth ended its participation in F1, a far cry from its past success when Michael Schumacher (Benetton 1994), Keke Rosberg (Williams 1982), Nelson Piquet (Brabham 1981), Alan Jones (Williams 1980) and others (Andretti, Hunt, Fittipaldi, Stewart, Hill, Rindt) became world champions driving a car powered by the engine of the company founded in 1958 by Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth (the choice of the combined name becomes clearer here).

After its withdrawal, Cosworth focused on developing an engine block that meets the latest F1 standards to prepare for an ambitious return.

That’s how in 2010, the Northampton-based engine manufacturer returned to Formula 1 with the CA2010 V8 engine and powered the prestigious Williams F1 Team, as well as the three debuting teams Hispania Racing F1 Team, Virgin Racing, and Lotus F1 Racing.

To date, none of the contracted teams have managed to reach the podium, and even though Lotus decided to change engine suppliers for 2011 by partnering with Renault, Cosworth has made enormous progress in understanding its engine block. Reliability and top speed, combined with optimal efficiency, are the foundation of success. The clear signs of this improvement are truly visible through Williams’ results.

Strategically speaking, Cosworth is focused on 2013, the date when new engine specifications may allow the English engine manufacturer to reconnect with its glorious past, as confirmed by general manager, Mark Gallagher: « We have been approached by new teams, and we have had discussions with partner teams about the next two years, but we are focused on 2013 and we firmly believe in our success… We have very ambitious plans to develop Cosworth’s offering for 2013, and we want to work with the maximum number of teams. We want to win again. »

Gallagher outlines his vision for the future: «It is a fact that Cosworth has already been associated with smaller teams, what we call customer teams, we have the huge ambition to change that… We want to establish partnerships with teams capable of winning the world championship. That is why our relationship with Williams, just like other future relationships, is very important to us.»

Certainly, the relationship with Williams was complicated at first because the engine did not meet the team’s expectations, but since then things have returned to normal. At Cosworth, everyone is aware that the relationship established with Williams is crucial. It is the most competitive team among the engine manufacturer’s partners, and it also has the best potential to attract new teams. It’s a win-win relationship. If the Cosworth engine performs well, Williams can hope to achieve good results and thereby rank well in the championship. If Williams wins, Cosworth could be approached by leading teams to negotiate a partnership. Tim Routsis, the group’s CEO, is well aware of the importance of this relationship: “I am really proud of the work everyone has done; we are still in the phase where we are learning to make the most of the engine… I think with Williams we can say there were times at the beginning of the season when we were shouting at each other, but it was more out of frustration… No one is here to act as a placeholder, and I think we can talk about a much more mature relationship now… It always takes time to learn to work together, to understand each other’s sensitivities, and to know how things are perceived. You know, there’s nothing better than improved results on the track to make a relationship wonderful, there’s no doubt about it.”

Despite the loss of Lotus at the end of this year, Tim Routsis confirms that Cosworth’s business situation remains good. The future prospects suggest that there will be many partnership opportunities: There is a consensus in the paddock that performance is not a significant advantage, as reliability varies greatly from one engine supplier to another. We have the most reliable engine, which can make it an interesting engine… We provide not only an engine that is competitive and reliable, but also one that is produced with an obvious focus on economy. We offer a very good financial solution. You don’t have to be a genius to understand why the teams are very interested.

Regarding the negotiations initiated with Red Bull last season, the general manager regrets that his engine could not showcase its capabilities before: « We had a lot of conversations with Red Bull, it was obvious at the time that we were not at our advantage because we were talking about what we were going to do and not about what we had done. I think if we had been able to transpose ourselves in time, things would have been different. »

Regarding the number of teams the engine manufacturer can supply, Routsis confirms that the company has the capacity to support more teams: « We have structured our contracts so that they are independent of each other. We have no objection to supplying a single team if that is what happens, but we can clearly supply a much higher percentage of teams on the grid, if necessary. »

Cosworth is getting battle-ready to best tackle the upcoming seasons, with 2011 and 2012 being transitional years for engines. The teams that choose the English engine manufacturer might stand to gain. The engine specifications planned for 2013, with a 1.5L turbo and 4 cylinders, should serve as a reminder to everyone that Cosworth was once a specialist in turbo engines and their dominance back then was unrivaled.

In the history of motorsport, the one who shows anticipation is often the one who wins. If by chance a Top Team were to sign with Cosworth within the next two years, it will be time to see if the saying holds true.