Brawn GP Gobbled Up by Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is taking over the Formula One championship team Brawn GP while ending its partnership with McLaren. The German car maker says it will race in the future as the Mercedes GP team.
Daimler AG together with Aabar Investments PJSC will take over 75.1 per cent of the Brawn GP team, with Daimler taking 45.1 per cent and Aabar 30 per cent. The rest of the 24.9 per cent will remain with the current stakeholders.
With 9.1 per cent, Aabar is the biggest single shareholder of Daimler AG. This transaction is subject to the approval of the EU and the Swiss cartel authorities.
The partnership between McLaren Mercedes has been in place since 1995 and entered its 15th joint Formula One season in 2009. The change to the form of cooperation is taking place by mutual agreement. Mercedes-Benz and McLaren will continue to co-operate with each other and the supply of engines could continue until 2015.
Mercedes motorsports chief Norbert Haug said the separation was a “friendly solution.”
Brawn GP, which took over from Honda when it pulled out from the sport in March, had a spectacular first year season – with Jenson Button winning the 2009 drivers’ title and the team taking the constructors’ championship.
Team principal Ross Brawn had only spent one full season with Honda, in charge of the team’s 2008 campaign after 10 years with Ferrari.
Button was partnered this year by Rubens Barrichello, who is moving to Williams next season.
McLaren’s drivers were 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen.
The decision on the two drivers for the new Mercedes GP team “will still take come time,” said Haug. “We have to consider this carefully.”
UPDATE: The fall out from this sale didn’t take long to appear.
Jenson Button has agreed terms to join McLaren on a £6m-a-year deal and could sign his formal three-year contract to partner Lewis Hamilton in an all-British line-up within the next few days.
The Guardian understands that the world champion has turned his back on Brawn following protracted negotiations and will almost double his salary with the Woking-based team. The 29-year-old was given a guided tour of McLaren’s factory last Friday and, although neither the team nor Button’s management would confirm the deal tonight, sources close to McLaren hinted: “I think Jenson liked what he saw and they liked him too.”
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The early 90’s financial crisis saw Merc shelve their plans to enter F1 as a factory team, the fall back was to enter as an engine provider with their old sportscar partner Sauber in 93, Mercedes have always wanted to be a fully fledged factory team. The fact that they are doing it now, as other manufacturers are pulling out, is the great irony.
Even more ironic is that Merc may end up with two German drivers by default, Rosberg has already signed & Jenson “I’ve had trouble in the past with team contracts” Button, seems determined to shoot himself in the foot & go to McLaren. This puts Nick Hiedfeld, a Merc junior driver the was released from contract to the manufacturer, in the pound seats for a ride at the new Merc outfit.
Good luck to Jenson if he opts for a move to McLaren, that team is totally molded around Lewis Hamilton & the best Jenson could hope for is to be second amongst equals, in a team with no number 1 driver - excuse my sarcasm.
Despite Haug’s nice comments about MM, I wonder what the real motivators in this move were? Sure the two road car programs are a conflict, but how much has Ron, Spygate, Alonso’s exit & Liegate played as a role in the shift of house.
“The fact that they are doing it now, as other manufacturers are pulling out, is the great irony.”
True it is ironic, but it’s also a great opportunity as they and Ferrari may be the only manufacturers left standing.
You took the words right off my keyboard with that comment Marc.
Other manufacturer’s losses are anothers gain. Mercedes will have the factory stage all to themselves in as much as Renault will be an also ran for another few years if they remain. It will be a Mercedes-Ferrari duel, with occasional showings from McLaren and Red Bull. The Brawn-Mercedes success will have a lot to do with how much cash MM is willing to pour into the car development this year, like Honda did last year. Without it there would have been no titles for Brawn this year.
Mercedes and Ferrari will feast on the bones of the new teams with Williams possibly emerging with a podium here and there. 2010 should be another year of startling results given the new rules package. Can’t wait for Bahrain!!
Scratch the “MM” from my comment and please change to “MB”.
Our boy Deiter Zetsche has also stated they expect the costs of racing to continue to decrease over the next two years in accordance with the FIA-FOTA deal reached this year. So MB will be the solo star factory team, along with Ferrari.
Who knows, this may give Renault the competitive groin kick they need to stay in the sport and possibly give VW the impetus to also jump in and pick up the wreckage of the failed BMW effort.
The real bizarre outcome to all of this is where McLaren stands. They get to keep MB engines until 2015 and after that? I expect they will be running their own branded engines, ala Ferrari. Ron Dennis is truly a genius or he has just ruined an iconic brand of racing.
My last two cents worth: Don’t be stunned if Kimi winds up driving for Mercedes next year. Wouldn’t that be a kick in the groin for Ferrari AND McLaren???
I think Kimi has played his severance deal to his own best advantage. He’ll wind up as a contender in F1 or relaxing next summer on Ferrari’s dime.
I wish you were correct George, but it appears official that Kimi is taking a sabbatical (will he ever return to F1?). Kimi’s manager is saying that it was McLaren for 2010 or nothing. I’m guessing wages & PR commitments were the stumbling blocks.
As for Button decision to go to McLaren, Hamilton will dominate that pairing, leaving Button looking lacklustre. In the past we have criticized Button’s appalling track record of contract breaking with both Williams & Honda, this time it is a different matter entirely. There is only one reason why Jenson has ended up leaving Brawn……………Ross & Mercedes have allowed it.
If they really valued him as a driver they would have kept him on the books, even if it meant Mercedes paying the extra cash that Brawn was not prepared to stump up. Clearly Ross did not feel that continuing the relationship, for several more seasons, & paying the increased fee was worth the investment. That being said, Rosberg &, presumably, Hiedfeld are not going to set the world on fire.
Jenson is going to find himself wrong footed from the day he arrives. Hamilton thrives on oversteer while Button prefers an understeering predictable chassis. Next year’s McLaren is already designed around Hamilton’s preferences, right down to the weight distribution. Button’s only saving grace may be the new huge fuel tank that comes with refuelling ban. If the car’s brake & tyre wear are a balancing act, as the fuel load comes down, his skill at managing tyres & brakes, combined with his soft hands on the steering inputs may play into his favour. Hamilton’s style is far more aggressive, which is fine with three sets of tyres on a two stop strategy. How this style will translate to the huge difference in handling over a full race that next year’s cars will bring is a mystery. If Hamilton is a s good as many believe, he will simply adapt. My gut says that Hamilton will dominate, particularly in qualifying.
Patience Peter, patience. While it looks glum to have a driver’s WC without a ride next year, this IS F1, and Kimi’s status can change in a heart beat. And there’s a lot of heart beats between now and Bahrain.
Not even 24 hours since Jenson has signed with McLaren and Kimi is now “open” to a deal with Mercedes.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/motorsport/3081110/Raikkonen-could-be-lured-by-Mercedes?
It aint over yet I tell ya!
this all has the feel of a conspiracy theory by MB to rid themselves of Jenson and Acquire Kimi. MB low balls Jense so he has to go to McLaren; Kimi makes unsignable demands with McLaren which convinces them to sign Jenson; and ipso gacto, Kimi goes to MB.
Brawn is a genius!
Ok George, dust off the tin foil hat & place it on your head.
To be honest…….I rather like your conspiracy theory, the idea of ex-Ferrari Ross, in league with McLaren’s former partner Mercedes, sticking it in Ron appeals to me on several levels.
I hope your right, but those it was “McLaren or nothing” comments from Kimi’s manager that formed my opinion. I’m also convinced that Ross was less than impressed with Kimi at his old team. Brawn cant have missed Ferrari assisting Kimi out the door, in fact he probably knows the full story behind the move, he would have got the skinny from Luca & Jean.
I would love to see Kimi at Mercedes!
Damn! He is taking a year off, from his own lips:-
Let us hope your Mercedes/Brawn backroom deal comes true George.
Autosport is reporting that Kimi was insisting a rally clause be included in his contract. If that is the case you cant blame McLaren for saying no.
What F1 team would let their driver compete in WRC events in the middle of a F1 season? Imagine having your driver unavailable because he injured himself rolling a rally car.
Kimi also said:
“I have enjoyed my time in F1 and I still have ambitions. In the right circumstances I am very keen to return. The door is open. Let’s see what the future brings.”
But I agree with your rally comment Peter. No F1 team is going to pay a top driver to go racing off the reservation in season or out. As for Ross getting any info from Ferrari regarding Kimi I think you’re dreaming. If Ferrari offered ANY commentary to Ross about Kimi (which I doubt) he would have to consider any negative observations as sour grapes. After all Kimi just conned them out of $10-$17 million, what good things could they possibly have to say???
Ultimately Kimi needs to decide what he will do; drive F1 or rally.
Shame if he’s gone, but the sport will survive without him. He should talk to Schumy on this score. Quit when you have no potential regrets, it’s damned near impossible to get back in the game later.