Workers at Mercedes’ high-performance engine plant in Northants are facing job losses after the company announced it was cutting back due to the new F1 rule changes.
The redundancies represent 10 per cent of the plant’s 500-strong workforce, which is currently making engines for McLaren, Brawn GP and Force India.
The news follows a dreadful year for the high-performance motorsport industry, in which hundreds of jobs have already been lost at Brawn GP, suppliers have felt the knock-on effects and the region as a whole is considering how it will deal with the loss of the British Grand Prix from Silverstone after this month’s event.
Walter Shattling, the company’s Director of Motorsport, told the Northampton Chronicle: “Formula 1 rule changes force us to do so because there is reduction in engine developing and production activity.
“Unfortunately, it is part of the restructuring process at Mercedes-Benz which we’re forced to do by regulations. It is an unfortunate consequence.
“Nonetheless, we will continue to manufacture high-class engines such as those with which we are leading the championship.”
A local councillor also said the redundancies would be bad news for the region’s economy and that the council would be working with enterprise groups to attract new business to Motorsport Valley in their wake.
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