Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff admits engine deal with Red Bull has appeal.

As the Red Bull-Renault 'marriage' seemingly heads towards bitter divorce, the Austrian team finds itself with limited options.

Whilst Ferrari is understood to have offered an engine deal it is unclear whether the Maranello company is willing to supply the same spec power units as its works team.

Though Red Bull has made no secret of its desire to run Mercedes units, the German manufacturer, understandably, is in no hurry to supply is engines to one of its strongest rivals.

All of which leaves Toto Wolff in a quandary.

"There is currently an agreement in place and we do not want to interfere in legal matters between the parties," he told Gazzetta dello Sport, referring to Red Bull's current contract with Renault which ends next year.

"If I wear the hat of Mercedes Motorsport and I speak on behalf of Formula One, I must say that it is an attractive option," he admitted, "because it would tie a brand that has appeal among young people with one that is winning.

"But, as head of the works team, it's not really ideal to strengthen a competitor who knows how to build winning cars."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by 4-Wheel Drifter, 17/08/2015 2:05

"Come on, you guys. We all know that F1 protected Ferrari AND Mercedes when Cosworth had a competitive engine by 'adjusting' the rules in such a way as to eliminate it. And Ferrari and Mercedes are still 'protected' teams. Say, under the current rules, you created an engine that out-performed, measurably, the Ferrari's and Mercs. And say you were willing to supply any team that wanted it. If you think you'd be in business, you haven't been paying attention. "

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2. Posted by F One, 15/08/2015 17:32

"Don't do it Mercedes. No one do it. Leave them engineless."

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3. Posted by Yeyox02, 13/08/2015 21:08

"Money does not make people smarter so Mr Wolff is about to make a big mistake and he will regret it forever. It would be good to know Mr. Dieter Zetsche opinion."

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4. Posted by scf1fan, 13/08/2015 20:28

"Dang, I wish PP would let me go back in and edit my comments!!! LOL I become a bit dyslexic after looking at my own text for a while. (I get to a point I can't even see my typos!)

" . . . . right now there are neither of the two primary engine suppliers are willing to operates as Cosworth use too."

Should read " . . . right now, neither of the two primary engine suppliers are willing to operate as Cosworth use too." Among others . . . My regrets . . . :-("

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5. Posted by Paul C, 13/08/2015 19:43

"Mercedes should stop building "Smart"(?) Cars and build F1 engines there instead. The car designs do seem to make a difference with Mercedes engines."

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6. Posted by scf1fan, 13/08/2015 17:01

"@nonickname - Though I understand that that might make for some appeal (and could perhaps eliminate some of the cost pressures) I wouldn't find it very interesting at all! The one thing about the Cosworth era that made it work was that Cosworth didn't race! As an engine supplier, they sold to all comers and the technology was at a fairly robust and mature level that any team using a Cosworth engine could extract comparable performance from it. That isn't necessarily so today. The fact that Ferrari is quite open in saying that they are willing to stack the deck in the "Works" team's favor illustrates part of the problem.

Perhaps if the engine supplier side of the companies worked more independently from the racing side of the company, that might go a long way to mitigate the potential effects of favoritism but right now there are neither of the two primary engine suppliers are willing to operates as Cosworth use too. And I don't see how any of branded suppliers (who also races their own team) will ever be willing to follow the Cosworth model.

I think that RB will always have issues if they aren't getting the results they feel they deserve. If they keep coming in second to the Works MB team with a MB engine, it will be due to the engines they are receiving. Alternately, if MB can't win because someone else is making better use of a MB engine, they might decide not to race. (Or they might start to play games with the engine allotments.)

I find it difficult to understand why RB, with all their carping, is not willing to make an effort to brand their own engine. Certainly they have the money, and they could entice a company like Cosworth to participate with them. They seem to be a "one trick pony!" If Adrian Newey can design a car to blitz the field, RB seems to feel that they should be winning . . . . Yet the engine/PU is also one of the 3 main legs that make for a successful racer. (Driver being the third.) The power unit leg is something that RB is quite willing to "farm out" and then complain about if things aren't going their way. "

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7. Posted by nonickname, 13/08/2015 14:27

"Wouldn't it be nice to have the entire field,except Ferrari and their teams powered by Mercedes. It would go a long way to bringing back the old DFV/Ferrari duels.If this sounds weird just go to Moto2.
1 engine suppliers and umpteen teems."

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Red Bull deal leaves Wolff in a quandary

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