Cosworth sure its engine is capable of winning grands prix

The engine firm returned to the sport last year with Williams, Lotus, Virgin and HRT as customers - but Lotus moved to Renault power for 2011 and Williams will do likewise next year.

Cosworth general manager Mark Gallagher is sure his company's V8 is a match for the rival units from Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes.

"There is not a lot of difference in performance between the four engine manufacturers in Formula 1 currently," he said.

"We are always listening to the feedback from our teams and looking at ways to optimise the performance of the engine for each race. The Cosworth engine has good reliability and excellent all-round performance, and I remain convinced that it has the potential to win races in the right car.

"We have to continue to work hard with all three teams and also look to future developments; I believe Marussia Virgin Racing and HRT F1 will make another good step in 2012."

Although its two 2012 squads finished at the bottom of last year's championship and currently tend to occupy the back two rows of the grid, Gallagher is optimistic that both Virgin and HRT have the potential to move forward next season.

"Marussia Virgin Racing has recently made key announcements about its technical set-up including the relationship with McLaren Applied Technologies which signal its intent to move up the grid, while HRT F1 has new owners which gives them increased confidence in their F1 programme," he said.

"Both teams have made improvements during the course of this season and are continuing to fight hard to reduce the gap to the midfield. Cosworth aims to push hard on its side to support both teams and to be deeply involved in their progress."