Mobil 1 to join Merc at Brawn?

(GMM) According to a rumor in the paddock of the DTM series finale in Hockenheim last weekend, Brawn could be set to benefit from more than just an intensified relationship with Mercedes-Benz in the future.

It is believed that as part of a closer Brawn/Mercedes collaboration could be the transfer of McLaren's oil sponsor Mobil 1.

The rumor would tie into whispers that McLaren, as well as teams including Williams, have for some time been in talks with Petronas, the Malaysian state oil company.

Petronas is known to want to stay in F1 next year, but the future of its current partner BMW-Sauber is currently uncertain.

In other sponsor news, Brawn will have branding of the Qatar telecom company Qtel on its car in Abu Dhabi this weekend, while Williams has paired up with Qatar's Science and Technology Park to inaugurate the locally-based Williams Technology Centre.