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Brawn has 'no doubt' Mercedes will remain in F1

Ross Brawn says Mercedes is close to agreeing a deal to stay in F1 © Sutton Images

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Ross Brawn has said there is no doubt Mercedes will remain in Formula One going forward and has revealed that the team is very close to agreeing to the next Concorde Agreement.

Bernie Ecclestone has insisted since the Monaco Grand Prix that all the teams are ready to sign up to his new commercial deal from 2013 to 2020, but negotiations with Mercedes have clearly been more difficult. Other teams have signed an agreement for the new deal, but Mercedes has been less keen, ostensibly because its financial terms are not as favourable as for other top teams.

However, Brawn said there is no doubt that Mercedes will continue in the sport and insists an agreement is close.

"There's no doubt," Brawn said when asked if Mercedes would remain in the sport. "We've had some tough discussions and I've no doubt that we will be able to close those discussions soon and obviously that's a high level of commitment. I think Mercedes are very committed to Formula One."

Asked whether the Mercedes board was now happy with the new deal, Brawn said: "[The board is interested in] finding the best solution. We're working with Bernie to find the best solution and I think we're very close."

And Brawn himself said he would stay in the sport for the foreseeable future, with the 2014 engine regulations an added incentive for him.

"I'm not planning to retire at the moment. I'm very excited about this 2014 engine programme, I think it's quite a game changer in Formula One. I still have a strong engineering passion so having such a different engine and package in 2014 is exciting. Developing a team is something I want to do."

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