From GMM

Ross Brawn does not think Mercedes should supply any more formula one teams with customer engines.

According to France's Auto Hebdo, the German marque's board met on Monday and discussed the possibility of supplying engines to a fourth team in 2011.

Currently, Mercedes supplies its Brackley based works team as well as McLaren and Force India.

Red Bull wanted to switch from Renault to Mercedes this season, but the move was vetoed by the marque's then exclusive formula one partner McLaren.

McLaren, however, is now only a customer team, meaning that Mercedes is apparently free to supply Red Bull next year if it desires. But Ross Brawn, team principal of Mercedes GP, told Italy's Autosprint magazine: "In terms of engine deliveries, we are on the limit. We should think long and hard before deciding to add another team to the customer list."

It is possible that Ross Brawn simply does not want Red Bull's superior chassis to be combined with the best engine in F1, but he argues that "a (independent) company like Cosworth must be able to sell its engines".




Ross Brawn also denies that the Mercedes is necessarily the best engine on the grid. "I do not know exactly where we are in that (horse power) area, but there are other things that come into play. You also have to consider the cooling, the fuel consumption and how an engine responds to the input of the driver."

Ross Brawn added that "the boss of Renault's engine department said recently that it (the Renault V8) may be missing some engine power, but in other areas it is the best".

However, it is believed that Red Bull is still eyeing a switch from Renault to Mercedes power for next season. But team boss Christian Horner is quoted by Motor21: "If the problems (with the Renault engine's power) are solved then there would be no reason to change."


Mercedes is reportedly considering a 10 per cent cut to its formula one budget. According to the well-known French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet, the German marque's board of directors met on Monday to discuss spending on formula one.

Jean-Louis Moncet, whose blog is published by France's Auto Plus, said Mercedes will review its budget after July's Hockenheim race with a view to a 10 per cent reduction in 2011-2012.

He also writes that the Mercedes directors discussed supplying customer engines to a fourth team in 2011.