Marussia to use Ferrari engines in 2014

Marussia have agreed a long-term technical partnership with Ferrari to use their engines and full powertrain from 2014, the Anglo-Russian Formula One team said on Tuesday. The move had been widely expected, with Marussia’s existing supplier Cosworth set to leave the sport and the team appointing Frenchman Jules Bianchi - a Ferrari reserve - to their race line-up at the start of this year. [caption id=“attachment_959193” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Marussia have agreed a long-term technical partnership with Ferrari to use their engines and full powertrain from 2014. Reuters[/caption] Marussia said in a statement that the deal provided further confirmation of the team’s commitment to Formula One and “determination to maintain our progression towards our long-term ambitions”. The British-based team operate with the smallest budget in the sport and have yet to score a point since their debut in 2010 as Virgin Racing. However, they are currently ahead of Malaysian-owned rivals Caterham after nine races. The Formula One regulations are changing significantly next year with a new turbo-charged 1.6 litre V6 engine and energy recovery systems being introduced to replace the current 2.4 litre V8. Mercedes and Renault are expected to power four teams each with Ferrari, the most successful and oldest team in the championship, supplying the remaining three. “We look forward to working with Scuderia Ferrari during this exciting new era of Formula One competition,” said Marussia chief executive Andy Webb. Reuters