Cosworth’s future in F1 at risk

UPDATE A reader writes, I strongly disagree with your assessment that the Cosworth engines are underpowered. A lot of the time differences between the F1 teams has to do with the chassis development. Chassis development is THE budget burner. Look at Sauber, they have a Ferrari engine right? How many races have Ferrari won so far? When was the last time a Ferrari engine blew up? And the Saubers were not precisely fighting for the podiums with the McLarens, the Williams and the Ferraris. Look at Toyota, arguably the MOST POWERFUL ENGINE, the team with a budget compared only to that of Ferrari in the F1 grid and yet they still can't make it to the front. So it is not the engine alone that makes a competitive car it is the balance between the chassis, the engine and the tires. Roberto Reyes, Mexico City 11/22/04 F1's newest team, Red Bull Racing, could switch to BMW power in the future, once the team's contractual commitment to Cosworth comes to an end. "There are good relations with Munich," said Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz. "Honda, Ferrari, BMW – I believe are all good manufacturers, and we will have the chance to get an engine. If we change, we want to go with the best one available." Unless Cosworth's new owners Messrs. Kalkhoven and Forsythe step up their horsepower, Cosworth could soon find itself out of the F1 business now that the other engine manufacturers have shown an increasing willingness to sell customer engines. Mark C.