Mercedes targets Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing for 2010

The German manufacturer Mercedes, which holds a 40% stake in McLaren, had earlier in the year considered ending this collaboration in favor of a complete takeover of Brawn GP. However, this was at the beginning of the season when McLaren was struggling, Lewis Hamilton was involved in the Australian Grand Prix scandal, and Brawn GP was accumulating victories.

Since McLaren’s victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix last month, it has visibly convinced them to continue the relationship with McLaren. The spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz Motorsport denied any speculation of a Brawn GP takeover but hinted that Mercedes could increase its stake in a team they already supply with engines.

« It is our policy not to comment on rumors, and we want to point out that we have long-standing contracts with McLaren, » he said. « The contract binding Mercedes-Benz to McLaren is very old, dating back about fifteen consecutive years and will continue to be honored for many more years. However, we are supportive of our partner’s project regarding the supply of engines to other Formula 1 teams, and we were delighted earlier this year when Mercedes-Benz signed with BrawnGP. »

The championship leaders, Brawn GP, remain equally taciturn. When questioned at the beginning of August about the prospect of a complete takeover by Mercedes, the CEO, Nick Fry, said he was not aware of any deal: “We have heard nothing concerning the fact that Mercedes would be unhappy [with McLaren] and we very much hope they remain involved with McLaren,” he commented.

Fry had announced later in the month that the team had secured its operation for the next 3 years thanks to lucrative sponsorship deals. « We have signed some nice contracts, and those will be unveiled when we launch the next year’s car », he declared.

Mercedes could well be one of them. Mercedes’ parent company, Daimler, which reported net losses of $1.51 billion for the second quarter of the year, had stated earlier in the year through administrator Helmut Lense that Mercedes should end its overly expensive commitment to Formula 1.

Instead, it appears that Mercedes is doing the exact opposite. While Honda has left Formula 1 and BMW has announced that it will do the same at the end of the current campaign, Mercedes might be involved in four teams in 2010.

FIA regulations prohibit manufacturers from supplying more than 2 teams, but it is possible to do so with the agreement of the FIA board and all the teams. In addition to McLaren and Brawn GP, Mercedes is expected to continue supplying Force India and is in a good position to also equip Red Bull. Indeed, according to the Daily Telegraph, Mercedes has proposed to supply Red Bull with engines in exchange for a logo on the car’s nose, instead of the usual 5 million dollars typically charged for engine supply. Could Mercedes finally have its German star in the person of Sebastian Vettel?