MAY 29, 2013

Marussia to announce Ferrari deal in Canada

A 2014 Ferrari engine deal for Marussia is expected to be announced on the sidelines of the Canadian grand prix next month.

A 2014 Ferrari engine deal for Marussia is expected to be announced on the sidelines of the Canadian grand prix next month.

The team was weighing up between the Italian marque and Mercedes, because current engine supplier Cosworth is not building a turbo V6 for the new rules.

"It is clear that the price will be an important factor," Marussia chief executive Andy Webb said this year, "because the cost will be significantly higher than the current engines."

It is believed that, of the three engine manufacturers in F1 next year, Renault's V6 will be the most expensive package, while Ferrari is the cheapest.

It is believed 2013 Marussia driver Jules Bianchi's connections with Ferrari also worked in favour of a deal with the Maranello outfit.

"Ferrari genuinely wants more teams," Marussia technical boss Pat Symonds admitted this month.

"I think they wanted another team anyway and the contact through Jules has done nothing but help."

(GMM)