Mercedes could exit F1

Mercedes could pull out of Formula One because of concerns about the motorsport's ruling body, according to reports.

A report in The Times Newspaper has suggested the Brackley-based team could end their association with the sport, with speculation stating they would not have a seat at the table under new plans for the sport. Formula One is proposed to be floated on the Stock Exchange, with the sport set to be valued in the region of £6b, and whilst a host of teams look like they will be involved in the ruling body, Mercedes appear to have been excluded. Driver Nico Rosberg secured their first chequered flag since their return to the competition back in 2009 but their recent success could now be undermined by the proposed plans. The report in The Times claimed "Mercedes, which is estimated to have spent more than £1 billion on grand-prix racing in the past two decades, is on the verge of quitting Formula One as the company is denied a seat in the new boardroom that will control the sport when a Stock Exchange float is completed". It added that "Red Bull, the relative newcomers to grand-prix racing, and Ferrari have both been promised boardroom places by Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's chief executive, as he lines up a float that could value Formula One at up to £6 billion".