Mercedes Benz head of motorsport Norbert Haug has dropped heavy hints to the media that his company has something to announce in the upcoming weeks. Mercedes are thought to want to increase their F1 participation by closer co-operation with another team apart from McLaren; the most likely concern is thought to be Brawn.
Although Haug was typically tight-lipped, he did infer that something would be announced soon.
“We are not in a hurry and we are not quite sure when we will announce something. I said I hoped it would be before Monza, but I don’t know if that will be the case now,” he told Autosport.
The possibility of Mercedes buying out Brawn has left many in F1 scratching their heads. Seasoned F1 commentators have attributed it to a divergent management philosophy from the Stuttgart carmaker; they plan to increase spending while others dither over withdrawal.
Any agreement would still be far-fetched, however. McLaren are likely to be working frantically behind the scenes to ensure they themselves remain number one priority for the marque. Mercedes currently own 40% of McLaren and provide a large part of the Woking team’s budget. They have also been relatively successful with McLaren and there have been no signs from Woking that they were dissatisfied with Mercedes’ contribution.
