Mercedes warns McLaren relationship will change in 2014 F1 season

Mercedes has warned McLaren that it faces being treated as a full-on competitor rather than engine partner this year, ahead of the Woking-based team's switch to Honda power in 2015

Although Jenson Button recently called on all the Mercedes-powered Formula 1 teams to continue working together to boost their title prospects, it now looks certain that relations will be different once the season is underway.

Toto Wolff, Mercedes' executive director, has made it clear that at the moment Mercedes will co-operate with McLaren for the greater good - but dropped a firm hint that this stance will change.

How Honda plans to conquer F1... again

"I think certainly them heading off to one of our competitors is not an ideal situation," Wolff told AUTOSPORT.

"But in these early days of the season we have a short-term target which is common - in making the power unit reliable and performing.

"It is welcome that we are all having an exchange and all sharing the same short term target, and this is to make the power unit last and be quick.

"How that is going to pan out during the season, that daily management of the relationship, could change obviously."

Mercedes sources say they are already taking extra measures to ensure that there is no risk of in-depth technical knowledge being passed on to Honda.

This has included keeping McLaren engineers well away from sensitive work on the engines that they do not need to be privy to.

Wolff did not think, however, that relations would become too difficult - or that McLaren's hopes of success would be dented.

"At the end of the day we are still competitors on track," he said.

"There is still a fair amount of knowledge that you can share on developing the power unit, but then there is a fair amount of knowledge that you wouldn't want to exchange anyway because they are switching to Honda.

"But we expect them to be strong this year."

shares
comments

Is this Frijns's last shot at F1?

Red Bull insists nothing major is wrong with its new Formula 1 car

Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers

Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Damien Smith

Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers

When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle

When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Belgian GP
GP Racing

When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle

The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold

The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Jonathan Noble

The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold

The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose

The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Alex Kalinauckas

The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose

How football has posed difficult questions for F1

How football has posed difficult questions for F1

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
GP Racing

How football has posed difficult questions for F1 How football has posed difficult questions for F1

The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1

The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1 The fans that offer a ray of light in an increasingly partisan F1

Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Alex Kalinauckas

Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023

How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip

How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Jake Boxall-Legge

How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip

Subscribe