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Merc may follow BMW's F1 exit
04 August 2009
Mercedes’ position in Formula One is under constant debate within parent company Daimler’s boardroom, according to a senior Daimler official.
Daimler supervisory board member Helmut Lense has long been a critic of Mercedes’ involvement in the sport and earlier this year urged the firm to pull out and pursue “more worthy projects”.
German rival BMW announced last week that it would quit F1 at the end of this season following a dismal start to 2009.
Lense, a board member since 1998, says Mercedes’ future in the sport is once again a big topic of discussion at board level.
“This discussion will surely continue to heat up in light of BMW's withdrawal,” Lense told the Stuttgarter Nachrichten newspaper.
Mercedes currently supplies engines to three teams in Formula One (McLaren, Force India and Brawn GP) and is also a shareholder in McLaren.
When BMW announced its withdrawal from the sport last week, a Mercedes spokesman moved quickly to deny that it was considering a similar decision.
The spokesman said Mercedes regretted BMW’s decision but it “does not have any influence on our Formula One engagement”.
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