The big announcement came in early this morning with McLaren confirming a switch back to Mercedes Benz engines starting 2021. The announcement came after there were plenty of rumours circulating in the Russian Grand Prix paddock with respect to the same. Both McLaren and Renault seemed happy about it with the latter wanting to focus primarily on its works team starting the big change for 2021.
While Mercedes have the best engine performance, Ferrari are not much behind. This year, especially after the summer break, Ferrari have proven that their engine performance is a little above Mercedes with dominant victories in engine heavy tracks like Monza and Spa. So the question comes that if McLaren were given the task of changing their power unit, why did they not go for Ferrari instead of Mercedes?
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One would think that considering Mercedes had a long deal with them before, it made sense for them to go with the known solution. But the answer is entirely a business decision with McLaren boss Zack Brown revealing the same.
Zak Brown says McLaren did not consider a Ferrari engine deal, saying it would be a “clear brand clash” on the road car side #F1 #RussianGP
— Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) September 28, 2019
Both McLaren and Ferrari compete in the same category of road cars – the ultra expensive sports cars. Ferrari, naturally have their history and legacy making them everyone’s favourite. However, McLarne is also catching up very fast with good road cards like the exclusive McLaren Senna, or the very famous McLaren P1.
While Ferrari are the most successful constructor in Formula One, McLaren come second. Both of the manufacturers have used this stat to gain fans – loyal and crazy ones. And hence, it would be a little out of logic for McLaren to be powered by their biggest competitor.
Ferrari will continue powering themselves, Haas and Alpha Romeo for 2021 and beyond (at least), while Mercedes will add a fourth team under their stable followed by their works team, Racing Point and Williams. This will surely give them some political advantage which will come in handy while trying to implement changes in rules they don’t prefer.
Rumours were also circulating that this deal is a sign that Mercedes might be trying to end their works team, however Toto Wolff was quick to rubbish off such rumours.
