Brawn to Become Mercedes' Works Team in 2012?

Mercedes will presumably buy into the Brawn GP team next year and, by 2011, the German manufacturer is to own no less than 75 percent out of the current Brackley based outfit. This is the latest report issued by the Swiss publication Blick, whose veteran journalist Roger Benoit claims Nico Rosberg will also drive a silver-painted Brawn car next year.

It seems Mercedes are in fact interested in signing the son of former F1 champion Keke Rosberg, but not to partner Lewis Hamilton at McLaren but Jenson Button at Brawn. Although the team's CEO Nick Fry initially suggested he is more than happy with the current lineup – Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button – it seems Rosberg is already packing for Brackley.

Frankly, one couldn't pick up the real news in Benoit's report: either the fact that Rosberg is to sign with Brawn from 2010 or that Ross Brawn's team is to become Mercedes' new works team in Formula One starting 2012. According to the aforementioned journalist, the German car maker will allow its deal with the Woking based team to fade out until the end of next season, after which they'll switch all attention to Brawn.

Either way, Rosberg is expected to sign a new agreement with the British team in the upcoming months, where he will next year drive a silver-painted car with prominent Mercedes branding.

It seems Rubens Barrichello's burst at his team following the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring did not exactly play in his favor, as the Brazilian will face an exit from Brawn regardless of how the season will progress this year. The F1 veteran is currently 2nd overall in the drivers classification, 16 points behind his teammate, with 5 races to go.

Mercedes' motorsport director Norbert Haug recently admitted that the German representatives will take longer to decide on their engine options for the upcoming seasons, probably waiting for Ross Brawn to finally ink a sellout deal in the upcoming weeks.