Silver Arrows Announces Rivalry with McLaren

Silver Arrows F1 Team will become McLaren Mercedes' newest rival in the world of Formula One, or at least that's how the promise of Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche sounds following his announcement yesterday. As the German car maker will switch factory support from Woking to Brackley starting 2010, Silver Arrows – now known as Brawn GP – will become Formula One's newest “big gun” in the constructors' race.

“We will be rivals on-track but, off-track, we will cooperate with McLaren and the other teams in order to create the best possible product for spectators worldwide,” said Zetsche shortly after making the factory-switch announcement.

The rivalry will continue to be one that includes the same engine manufacturer, as Mercedes have confirmed their plans to extend the engine supply deal with McLaren F1 Team until the end of 2015. However, their 40 percent stake in the Woking based team will be sold back to McLaren Automotive in the upcoming 2 years.

Some other details regarding this rivalry are these: silver will continue to be part of McLaren Mercedes' livery throughout the 2010 Formula One championship, so we'll have not two but four silver arrowed-cars during the upcoming season.

The switch in factory support will therefore mean that McLaren will actually have to pay for their Mercedes engines from now on, which is the first time that happens since 1995.

When talking about the reasons that led to the parting of ways between the two companies – Daimler AG and McLaren Automotive – Zetsche expressed the obvious: the British car's strategy for the future, meaning their independent move into sports car manufacturing.