F1/European Grand Prix: Norbert Haug of Mercedes has revealed the motor manufacturer is likely to decide within six weeks on a deal to supply one Formula One team with customer engines next season, amid continuing rumours linking Jordan with the German company. Justin Hynes reports from Nurburgring
Two weeks ago, at a heated Canadian Grand Prix press conference, Eddie Jordan was left red-faced when asked the identity of the benefactor who had paid his team's truck-leasing agreement.
McLaren Mercedes boss Ron Dennis came to the Irishman's rescue by asking that the questioning be moved on, prompting speculation that it was Mercedes who had bailed Jordan out - and there has been no denial since from either Jordan or Mercedes.
And yesterday Haug admitted Mercedes is to push ahead with a FIA-instigated plan for manufacturers to supply customer engines for a flat $10 million fee in 2004.
"We'll stick with the (FIA) plan. It is certainly not easy for us, but we think we have to set a sign. We think we should be a good example and that's why we will do it," admitted Haug.
"No decision has been taken who the team will be, but we'll certainly continue developing ourselves in that direction."
Last month in Austria, Haug suggested Mercedes would struggle to comply with the FIA idea. Something has changed in the meantime and yesterday's statement will add fuel to the blaze of rumours linking Mercedes to Jordan.
"This will happen within, I would say, the next six weeks," Haug added. "We can only supply one team. We need to put all the effort behind it, to supply an additional team, and that is the maximum. Everything else would compromise our own efforts and we cannot afford that."
He also admitted the deal would be for next season.
"It will not be a Mercedes Benz engine. . . it will have a different name. This is certain. We are only going to have one team called West McLaren Mercedes in Formula One. This would be a sponsor's name or an artificial name or whatever."
Eddie Jordan has a three-year deal with Ford for the supply of Cosworth engines, which costs the team in the region of $18 million, but Minardi boss Paul Stoddart said Jordan had approached a number of teams and Jordan did not deny he had approached Mercedes, among others.
"If we are talking about engine supply there is the letter from Mercedes-Benz in January, which was positive and was the first instigator of putting an engine package together, so that is to be applauded," said the Jordan boss.
It remains unclear whether Jordan's attempt to secure a deal with Mercedes would be compromised by his deal with Ford, though it is likely there are get-out clauses on both sides.
Meanwhile, on track yesterday, a Mercedes-powered car topped the timesheets, with Kimi Raikkonen eclipsing Michael Schumacher by three-tenths of a second. Juan Pablo Montoya finished third ahead of Williams team-mate Ralf Schumacher.
Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella will make his grid-determining qualifying run ninth-last this afternoon after the Italian got the benefit of Nurburgring's unpredictable weather; he secured the ninth-fastest time just minutes before torrential rainfall.
"For the first time in my life, I think, I've been lucky and my place in the order today allowed me dry conditions," he said. "It was a good lap and the balance wasn't too bad, but I was two seconds off the pace, which was frustrating. It's a combination of tyres and our whole package."
Team-mate Ralph Firman wasn't as fortunate. The rookie made his run just as the rain stopped falling, but was able to demonstrate his ability in the wet, claiming 14th place.
