Cosworth has admitted it is "unlikely" they could return to Formula 1 as an independent engine supplier in 2021, despite reportedly being involved in shaping the new regulations.
The British company left the sport at the end of the V8 era in 2013 but has been re-evaluating the landscape following the desire of new owners Liberty Media to bring in cheaper, simpler and noisier engines.
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A first concept was revealed last October and has been praised by independent teams and interested parties while current manufacturers Ferrari and Mercedes threatened to quit F1 if it was implemented.
"First off, we'd love to be there [in F1]," Bruce Wood, Cosworth's managing director of powertrains said at the Autosport International show on Thursday.
"The rules as they are being proposed would certainly technically facilitate Cosworth coming back into it and will bring down the cost barrier to entry. [But] it's unlikely you will see a completely independent Cosworth on the 'if you build it they will come' [basis] because the economics of that are hard to make work."
The engine maker is, however, open to becoming a partner to a manufacturer that decides to enter F1 under the 2021 regulations, which are still being discussed, with names like Aston Martin and Porsche previously mentioned.
