Mercedes F1 team made the first race victory since its come back to the sport in 2009 as a fully- dedicated contestant, it has been claimed that the Brackley-based operation 'could be forced out' following being excluded from Formula 1 supreme Bernie Ecclestone's Stock Exchange floatation boardroom.
'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,' reported the newspaper on Monday.
'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.'
The report continues: 'Mercedes, who registered their first win of the modern era in China only last month, have been isolated with McLaren, their former partners, also being handed a place.'
The Times goes on to claim the exit of Mercedes from F1 could result in the loss of 1000 jobs and wipe 20 per cent off F1's floatation valuation.
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