F1 still 'very profitable' for Mercedes – CEO

Feb.3 (GMM) Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius has continued to play down rumours that Mercedes will no longer operate as a full works team in Formula 1 after 2020.

He had already declared that speculation a bombshell decision will be made at a board meeting on February 12 is “not truer”.

And now he is quoted by Auto magazine as saying: “We won the world championship six times in a row.

“This is a unique achievement, and in terms of marketing, it more than pays for the costs. So it is a very profitable investment.”

However, a well-known pundit for the Finnish broadcaster C More, Ossi Oikarinen, said he wouldn’t be surprised if Mercedes pulls the plug, deciding instead to remain in F1 as an engine supplier only.

“We saw it with Toyota, we saw it with BMW. Motor racing is not their core business,” he said.

And so the rumours continue, and some are tying it all up with news that Racing Point will become the works Aston Martin team from 2021.

“If Mercedes leaves, could this be an outlet for Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton?” wondered La Gazzetta dello Sport correspondent Andrea Cremonesi.

Gary Anderson, the former technical director for Jordan and Jaguar, warns the Silverstone-based team not to rush its way to the front of the grid.

“The Aston Martin news is positive for Racing Point, but my one worry is the big ambitions could become distracting,” he said.

“It’s essential that the team’s great strengths, which are its racing and technical group, are built on and the ownership doesn’t get carried away.”