Cosworth in Talks with 'a Couple of Teams'

Although the Northampton-based engine builder already has a deal to continue supplying V10 engines to Minardi in 2006, it is also pushing hard to secure a deal to supply its V8 power-units.

Talks are understood to be ongoing with Williams, with the team needing to make a decision in two weeks about whether they want to stick with BMW for next year, but Kalkhoven is not taking anything for granted.

"The V8 is up and running, with well over 700 horsepower at 21,000 revs," he said. "It's going well. It's a great engine. We're in negotiations with a couple of teams at the moment and we'll see how it goes.

"It's hard to compete with the manufacturers that give away free engines and a lot of support. So it really depends on how important having an independent engine manufacturer is to Formula One or whether they want to be entirely in the hands of manufacturers."

Should Cosworth's talks with the teams not be successful, then Kalkhoven has hinted that there may still be a chance for the company to remain involved in F1.

"I've had a meeting with Bernie (Ecclestone). He was very helpful and came up with a lot of creative ideas. Whether or not we supply a complete engine, we'll supply a lot of stuff, particularly when you combine it with (electronics supplier) Pi.

"Obviously we would like to have the engine in Formula One. You certainly go out of your way to create a competitive offer to teams, but in the final analysis, you can never exceed an offer that a manufacturer will make.

"We have a contract with our friends at Minardi, but that's not a front-running team."