Cosworth confident of long-term future

The Northamptonshire-based company have been pushing hard to expand their supply for 2007, but it appears that they may have little option in what they do.

Their current main partner Williams are switching to Toyota engines next year, even though an expected announcement about the deal in Canada did not take place last weekend because the contracts are still with company lawyers.

And there is a chance that Cosworth's deal for V10 engines with Scuderia Toro Rosso could be bought out, with the team switching to Ferrari engines if Red Bull Racing agree a deal for customer Renault engines.

That would effectively leave Midland as Cosworth's only option for 2007.

The company's commercial director Bernard Ferguson admitted that it was hard for Cosworth to compete with the might of the manufacturers, but was upbeat about their long-term prospects.

"It's difficult for the independents," he said. "There are 12 teams in 2008 and six manufacturers, and if they all decide to supply a second team then the future for Cosworth isn't all that bright.

"But we still believe that there is a place for people like us in F1. There needs to be an independent manufacturer involved.

"It's difficult to imagine any chief executive committing to the sort of financial input that is needed to enter F1 and committing to it for five years. We're hanging in there and if we continue to produce a good product, we'll be around for a long time to come."

Ferguson believes that the key to Cosworth staying in the sport was in landing a competitive partner.

"We need a partner to showcase our engine to deliver the best for their car," he explained. "If you end up slipping down the grid, that becomes more difficult.

"We're trying to do the best job we possibly can. I think the level of manufacturer expenditure is unsustainable. It's very difficult for the five manufacturers that are not winning.

"If we end up with just manufacturers and one pulls out, what happens then?"