GPWizard F1 Forum
F1 News & Discussions => F1 Teams => Topic started by: Scott on April 26, 2022, 05:00:45 PM
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Maybe Massi did ruin Toto in the last race of 2021. Daimler looking to complete their divesting of the team, and Toto and friends holding the pursestrings to a team on a nose dive.
https://thejudge13.com/2022/04/25/daimler-set-to-pull-the-plug-on-mercedes-amg-f1-team/
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If Brawn could buy Honda for a pound, maybe we can get a similar deal on Mercedes? Anyone want to go halvsies? I'd be willing to chip in up to 10 pounds.
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Even if this story is right Jim Ratcliffe of INEOS has more than enough lolly to mop up Daimler-Benz third share in the MercedesAMG F1 team if neccesary. Current shareholders almost always get first refusal if one partner wants out and this may have been plan all along when INEOS stepped up to invest.
I'm pretty certain when Merc main board broke up the previous shareholding a year or 2 ago into a 3 way split - Daimler - Toto - INEOS; it was to have an easy exit from team ownership if needed.
I note there's no suggestion that AMG HP powertrains is to be divested, they're the engine suppliers and Merc/Daimler still own that outright. So Merc wouldn't leave completly, well not right away that is, but I guess it would call into qusetion the new gen engines for 26.
Hey maybe that's the real story here - Merc will move on rather than take Porsche/Audi head on. Makes sense with more than one current Merc engine customer being targetted with V.A.G. overtures.
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Even if this story is right Jim Ratcliffe of INEOS has more than enough lolly to mop up Daimler-Benz third share in the MercedesAMG F1 team if neccesary. Current shareholders almost always get first refusal if one partner wants out and this may have been plan all along when INEOS stepped up to invest.
I'm pretty certain when Merc main board broke up the previous shareholding a year or 2 ago into a 3 way split - Daimler - Toto - INEOS; it was to have an easy exit from team ownership if needed.
I note there's no suggestion that AMG HP powertrains is to be divested, they're the engine suppliers and Merc/Daimler still own that outright. So Merc wouldn't leave completly, well not right away that is, but I guess it would call into qusetion the new gen engines for 26.
Hey maybe that's the real story here - Merc will move on rather than take Porsche/Audi head on. Makes sense with more than one current Merc engine customer being targetted with V.A.G. overtures.
Are the Mercedes engines still made at Brixworth former Illmor facility? If so, it could be easily sold off to anyone, presumably not a German competitor, but maybe Aston Martin would like to have their own engine supply. If F1 continues to grow in the USA, then maybe Chevrolet would partner with them again (and... Ford Cosworth?)
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Sadly, I don't think either Ford or Chevy would be interested. Both get far more advertising bang for a tiny fraction of the bucks in NASCAR. I think Chevy has already committed to the next generation of IndyCar engines. Ford's management is still smarting from the Jaguar F1 debacle.
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Are the Mercedes engines still made at Brixworth former Illmor facility? If so, it could be easily sold off to anyone, presumably not a German competitor, but maybe Aston Martin would like to have their own engine supply. If F1 continues to grow in the USA, then maybe Chevrolet would partner with them again (and... Ford Cosworth?)
Merc F1 engines all made at Brixworth for both works team and customers Jeri, it's a wholly owned Subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG and crucially Toto Wolff is not on the board.
The customers teams, I think, are the problem in any equation to sell off Brixworth to Stroll or anyone else. Long contracts will be in place and Daimler-Benz board will not want to be seen breaking contracts as it will surely make world headlines.
In time they can probably extricate themselves from such issues, in the meanwhile though it looks much easier to give up their smaller shareholding in the race team itself, thus removing their name from the cars as a works entry.
With F1 engine regs set in stone now til end of 25 season Brixworth may be able to turn a profit just suppling customer units, whilst perhaps re-directing sections of Brixwoth to other projects on Merc road vehicle powertrains. Indeed they may choose not to continue as an engine supplier for F1s 2026 new gen PUs.