Mercedes refutes Jordan quit claims

Mercedes has hit back at an article in German media quoting Eddie Jordan claiming the team will quit Formula 1, describing the report as “completely false.”While Jordan has made many eye-catching statements as a specialist pundit for both the UK’s BBC and latterly Channel 4, the former team owner was the first to claim Lewis Hamilton would leave McLaren for Mercedes in late 2012.

Jordan has now stated his belief that Mercedes will pull out of F1 as a constructor at the end of next season in order to focus on being solely an engine supplier from 2019 onward.

Responding to Jordan’s comments, Mercedes labeled the reports “completely false” while adding “there are no such considerations,” with team boss Toto Wolff pointing to current agreements tying Mercedes to F1 for at least the next four years.

“Monaco is a place where people like to party and it seems like somebody did a bit too much of that!” Wolff said. “The reports are completely baseless and reflect nothing more than the mischievous speculation of one individual.

“Mercedes has firm contracts for its participation in Formula 1 until the end of 2020 – and is currently in discussions about the next competitive cycle with the sport’s new owners.”

After returning to F1 as a constructor ahead of the 2010 season – taking over the Brawn team – Mercedes showed gradual improvement to become Red Bull’s main competitor in 2013 before the introduction of the current V6 power units. Since the start of the 2014 season, Mercedes has dominated the sport, winning 54 of 65 races in that time, including three consecutive championship doubles from 2014-’16.

As a power unit supplier, Mercedes currently lists Williams and Force India as its customers, with a third customer – Manor – having folded following the end of the 2016 season. McLaren has also been linked with a return to Mercedes power units in the future amid ongoing struggles with current partner Honda, with the team having worked in collaboration with Mercedes from 1995-2014.