Quote:
Originally Posted by 321Go
It's not the first time Red Bull have wanted Mercedes power. Back in 2009, RBR was looking at Mercedes power for the 2010 season.
Adrian Newey: "The Mercedes engine enjoyed a good advantage over the rest of the field last year. The lap time difference was significant – several tenths of a second. And when you have to find that kind of performance from the chassis, that’s quite a big ask.
"But in the end Brawn and McLaren blocked us from having the Mercedes engine."
I doubt Mercedes will have an issue supplying RBR PU's if they wanted them. I think they would see it as a plus.
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Never say never, but I wouldn't put money on it.
I think even the quote above is very telling. If I remember my history correctly, 2010 was the year that Mercedes bought into Brawn and was one step closer, but not quite yet to a full constructor? I would assume any engine supplier who is not already a constructor would want their engine in a winning car, but the moment they become a full team/constructor, the equation really starts to change and the comment above shows that. Brawn and McLaren recognized the benefit of having the Mercedes engine and blocked RBR. Both teams were successful at that time.
I think if Mercedes (as a constructor) was a mess and not winning races then I think they would agree to supplying someone like a RBR because they win either way. But given the current situation, Mercedes is winning both as constructor and engine supplier. There is little upside to having RBR beat them with their own engine. You can play up the engine side, but it sacrifices the image of the "Mercedes Team". And you have the entire situation with McLaren. I don't know the recent history. Did McLaren jump or where they pushed? I suspect a bit of both, but I doubt Mercedes is sorry at this point to see them leaving as a customer.
Ultimately I would ask the question of how Mercedes is structured from a corporate/management structure. Does "Mercedes F1" and "Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains" live under one umbrella or are decisions made as one? The closer those two live in the org chart the more likely decisions will be made as one.
Richard