Mercedes is not on the departure according to Haug
Last week, the Times announced that the Mercedes team would likely leave Formula One at the end of 2012, still refusing to sign the Concorde Agreements. Norbert Haug, the director of motorsport for the Star brand, today denies any truth in the statements reported by the British newspaper.
The Concorde Agreements are certainly generating a lot of buzz, with Mercedes at the center of the controversy, refusing to comply with the terms of said agreements. An article in the Times published on Monday even announced the German team “on the way out,” due to difficulties in finding common ground between Mercedes and the FIA. Today, Norbert Haug refutes this claim.
At the root of the problem is the more than likely IPO of F1, which is preparing for the post-Bernie Ecclestone era of the discipline. This entry into the stock market involves the creation of a board of directors, which Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari would be part of, according to “commercial agreements” established last March between the three teams in question and Bernie Ecclestone.
All of this is, of course, hardly appreciated by the ex-Brawn GP team, especially since the trio would benefit from financial advantages, granted because these teams have not changed their name since 2000, have won a constructors’ championship, or won two consecutive championships.
Advantages largely justified according to the F1’s chief financial officer, quoted by the Times: “Why should Mercedes have the same advantages as the others?” he says. “What have they done for F1? They’ve won one race, that’s all!”
In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport on the subject, Norbert Haug denied the information gathered by the Times, stating that there is no truth in it at all.
On the other hand, a source generally well-informed, related to Jean-Louis Moncet, commentator of the F1 Grand Prix on TF1, confirms the recent rumors: « The board of directors of Mercedes must vote on the termination of the F1 program at the end of 2012 and consequently does not sign the agreements proposed by Bernie Ecclestone. The majority of shareholders veto the continuation of the F1 venture. The team’s future also depends on the investment in sponsorship and the outcome of the standoff with Ecclestone. »
Thus, as long as the star brand has not signed the Concorde Agreements, its future is not guaranteed, and the rumors will continue.
