Michael Schumacher has stated that money was a factor in his failure to pick up the kind of results that were expected on his return to F1.
The German's three-year spell with Mercedes saw him secure just one podium finish before he elected to retire from the sport for a second time at the end of the 2012 campaign.
Both team and driver readily admitted they had hoped for more from the partnership in terms of on-track results, but Schumacher said part of the reason was down to finances and the fact that Mercedes doesn't spend as much as rivals such as Red Bull.
“It's a factor,” he told
Auto Motor und Sport. “Over the years
Red Bull built an infrastructure and has a budget giving them the possibility to respond to anything in the best possible way.
“It is nothing more or less than what we had at Ferrari.”
Mercedes has signed
Lewis Hamilton to replace Schumacher for the 2013 season, with the Briton joining forces with
Nico Rosberg for the year ahead.