Aston Martin is "negotiating a shock return to Formula 1 in a tie-up with Red Bull for next season" that would bring the team Mercedes engines, according to Holder & Freeman of AUTOSPORT. In a deal that is currently still under negotiation, Aston Martin would "become brand partner with four-time world champion team Red Bull Racing in exchange for brokering a deal for it to run the dominant Mercedes F1 engine." Mercedes owns 5% of Aston Martin, which "competed in F1 for just two seasons," in '59 and '60. Under the deal Mercedes would be "recognised as the official engine supplier of Red Bull, but Aston Martin would become a partner and have branding on the cars." The deal is "said to have the blessing of Mercedes, which is eager to run more customer teams to offset the costs of its investment in F1 and does not consider Aston Martin to be a competitor for road car sales." The talks are "understood to have been instigated" by Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer and Dir of Marketing & Communications Simon Sproule. Aston Martin "refused to comment" (AUTOSPORT, 7/4). REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported Mercedes Non-Exec Chair Niki Lauda "has dismissed" a report suggesting Red Bull could switch from Renault to Mercedes engines with Aston Martin branding. Lauda: "A load of rubbish. We have not been asked, we never thought about it. That's it" (REUTERS, 7/5).
