F1: Red Bull eying a swap of engines with Force India
From GMM
Red Bull is reportedly closing on a deal to be equipped with Mercedes engines for the 2011 season. The German newspaper TZ reports that the move would involve the currently Mercedes-powered Force India team switching to Red Bull's current engine supplier Renault. Red Bull has been pushing for a Mercedes deal for some time, or minimally an allowance amid the engine development 'freeze' to bring the underpowered Renault V8 up to speed. The report said Mercedes may be amenable to ending its relationship with Force India due to the Silverstone based team missing scheduled payments. It is said that F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone is involved in the negotiations, as McLaren remains in a position to veto Mercedes' alliances with customer teams. Championship leader Mark Webber said on Thursday that the weakness of Red Bull's otherwise dominant RB6 is its engine power. Meanwhile, Renault is likely to supply not only the engine but also the gearbox to Lotus in 2011, according to reports. Turun Sanomat said that Lotus is designing its own system for 2011. The French marquee is also to supply the F1 team's electronics next year. Currently, Lotus road cars are powered by Toyota engines. UPDATE: Mercedes' Norbert Haug and Force India on Friday played down reports about movement in the customer engine market for 2011. Force India denied the story, insisting it has a valid contract with Mercedes until the end of 2012. Also contrary to the report, the Silverstone based team said its payments to Mercedes are up to date "and always will be". |
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