McLaren supercar caused Mercedes split - Haug

Mercedes-Benz split with McLaren due to the British team’s efforts to built its own road supercar.

That is according to the German marque’s motor sport chief Norbert Haug, after Mercedes took over the Brawn team and then started to sell back its 40 per cent share in McLaren.

Headed by Ron Dennis, McLaren Automotive recently launched the production MP4-12C supercar, powered by a bespoke engine.

Asked by Spain’s El Pais newspaper why McLaren and Mercedes decided to part ways in F1, Haug answered: "McLaren wanted to go in their own direction with their street sports car.

"We continue to supply them with engines but we have created our own team. We are grateful about our many joint successes — only Ferrari was more successful than us (McLaren-Mercedes)," Haug added.