Cosworth’s F1 days numbered

UPDATE Cosworth's commercial director Bernard Ferguson told Autosport.com, "It's difficult for the independents," he said. "There are 12 teams in 2008 and six manufacturers, and if they all decide to supply a second team then the future for Cosworth isn't all that bright.

"But we still believe that there is a place for people like us in F1. There needs to be an independent manufacturer involved.

"It's difficult to imagine any chief executive committing to the sort of financial input that is needed to enter F1 and committing to it for five years. We're hanging in there and if we continue to produce a good product, we'll be around for a long time to come."

Ferguson believes that the key to Cosworth staying in the sport was in landing a manufacturer to badge their engine, which is what we have said for a long time.

"We need a partner to showcase our engine to deliver the best for their car," he explained. "If you end up slipping down the grid, that becomes more difficult.

"We're trying to do the best job we possibly can. I think the level of manufacturer expenditure is unsustainable. It's very difficult for the five manufacturers that are not winning.

"If we end up with just manufacturers and one pulls out, what happens then?"

06/20/06 With Williams having already dropped Cosworth in favor of a Toyota engine deal even though the engine itself is probably inferior to the Cosworth powerplant, and with Renault and BMW looking to supply a 2nd team, now comes word that both Red Bull teams would like to be associated with a major car manufacturer. We said long ago that unless Cosworth gets a manufacturer to badge its F1 engine, its days in F1 are numbered.

(GMM) Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz has admitted that he would like his F1 foray to link up with a car manufacturer.

Amid the backdrop of the energy drink's undoubted links with Volkswagen, the Austrian billionaire called Red Bull 'one of the best parties in F1'.

''We have a beautiful brand,'' he was quoted as saying by usgpindy.com, ''and (the combination) of a manufacturer and Red Bull is a good one.''

At present, Red Bull and Italian-based junior squad Toro Rosso are powered respectively by customer Ferrari and Cosworth engines, while every top rival is backed and co-owned by a carmaker.

Mateschitz's original plan was to create an all-American team, but it faltered when US carmakers and sponsors could not be found. The first American driver in more than a decade, Scott Speed, debuted for STR in 2006.

'Didi' Mateschitz insisted: ''F1 is good for the brand and good as a marketing instrument. It is a marketing tool.''