F1: Cosworth Reveals ‘Several Contacts’ With Red Bull, Lotus To Team With Toyota In 2011

If Red Bull had known in advance the performance of Cosworth's engine, the British marque and F1's title leading team could be working together now.

That is the opinion of Cosworth's managing director Tim Routsis, who has revealed that talks between the independent Northampton-based engine maker and Red Bull took place a year ago.

Instead, the RB6 is fitted with the Renault V8, which according to Red Bull is significantly down on power compared with the leading F1 engines.

Red Bull designer Adrian Newey said this week that the 2011 car will likely also be powered by Renault, due to McLaren vetoing a collaboration with the team's preferred supplier, Mercedes.

But Routsis reveals that there were talks last year between Cosworth, who have lost Lotus as an engine customer for 2011, and Red Bull.

"There were several contacts with Red Bull," he is quoted by the Italian language Autosprint.

"But we were at a disadvantage, because we had no evidence about how our engine was going to debut.

"I am convinced that if we had been able to wind the clocks forward by 13 months, things with Red Bull would have gone differently," Routsis said.

At Monza, Sir Frank Williams confirmed once again that his Oxfordshire built cars will be powered by Cosworth in 2011, although the financial health of the marque's other partners - HRT and Virgin - is clouded.

"We are pleased to have produced a very reliable and economical engine," Routsis concluded. "This I think is recognised by everyone."

(GMM)

Lotus To Team With Toyota In 2011: Report

Lotus has informed the media that it will be making "a number of very exciting announcements" in Singapore next weekend.

It is widely expected that the new team's current drivers will be retained for another season, and that Lotus Racing will take on the historic Team Lotus moniker for 2011 and beyond.

And according to the rumour mill, with the team's 2011 contract with Cosworth now dissolved, Lotus will be confirming an engine and gearbox deal with Renault.

But Autosprint reports that Malaysian-owned Lotus could actually be set to announce a technical cooperation with Toyota Motorsport, the Cologne-based outfit that raced in Formula One between 2002 and last year.

Toyota is currently supplying Pirelli with a 2009-spec test car, and has been linked with a technical collaboration for 2011 with HRT, the struggling Spanish team.

But Autosprint reports that Lotus and Toyota are in fact set to collaborate, with Mike Gascoyne proving the crucial link between the two outfits.

Several former members of Toyota's F1 team are now working with Lotus, such as sporting director Dieter Gass.

"We have to do something different and it will be done soon," team boss and owner Tony Fernandes told the BBC at Monza last weekend.

"Lots of negotiations have gone on over the last couple of weeks and we're very happy with the outcome," he added.

(GMM)