Mercedes partner Ineos is in talks to buy a majority stake and rebrand the Brackley-based team, Eddie Jordan claims.
Speculation over the future commitment by the German manufacturer to Formula 1 has been high throughout this year, with team boss Toto Wolff and Lawrence Stroll linked to a takeover several months ago.
However, now it is technical partner Ineos, who signed a five-year technical partnership with Mercedes at the start of 2020 and have a history of buying top sports teams, notably in sailing and cycling, who are reportedly offering £700m for a 70% stake.
“The ownership of the team is going to be taken over by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos,” former team owner Jordan told the Daily Mail.
“The Ineos name is already on the side of the car anyway and they have this technological partnership so this is a nice way out for Mercedes.
“The team will be called Ineos but it will still be run from the factory in Brackley and Mercedes will retain a 30 per cent share in it.
“It will not be known as Mercedes any more and Toto Wolff, the team principal, will no longer be in charge.”
Indeed, the future of Wolff and Hamilton remains uncertain beyond 2020, with the Austrian admitting just this week that leading the team has “taken its toll”.
And with Hamilton now seemingly on course to match Michael Schumacher as a seven-time world champion, as well as Mercedes claiming a seventh straight Constructors’ crown, Jordan thinks…
“It has become difficult for them. How can they keep winning? How can they improve on what they have already done? They can’t,” he added.
“Toto’s reputation as one of the great team leaders in the history of the sport is already secure. What he has achieved at Mercedes puts him in the same league as Ron Dennis at McLaren and Jean Todt at Ferrari but all good things come to an end.”
Even though Mercedes has recently committed to the new Concorde Agreement until 2025, F1 CEO Chase Carey confirmed teams do still have the option to pull out after each year.
