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Mercedes must win to stay in F1 - Dieter Zetsche
ESPNF1 Staff
February 18, 2010
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Dieter Zetsche has turned up the pressure on Michael Schumacher and Mercedes GP © Sutton Images
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Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche has warned that the Mercedes F1 team must pay for itself and win races to hold on to the support of its parent company.
Mercedes, along with shareholder Aabar, took over the Brawn operation at the end of last year, fulfilling its long held ambitions of becoming a constructor in the modern era. It has recruited seven-time champion Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg to the team and has set clear goals of aiming for the championship in its first year.
But Zetsche revealed in an interview with manager-magazin.com that winning is "a condition" of the project and also warned that if there are "clear signs" that Daimler's money could be better spent outside of F1, "we'll have to make a new decision".
"The fact that Aabar came along with us as an investor not only shows that we are distributing our risk, it is also a signal that the Formula One team must pay for itself," Zetsche added. "We take our guidance from Gottlieb Daimler, who said 'The best, or nothing at all'."
Mercedes are one of only two true manufacturers left in the sport, after Honda, BMW and Toyota left last year and the majority of Renault was bought by an investment company. The team is currently testing in Jerez and are widely considered to be at the top of the field alongside Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.
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