F1 success driving 'huge' car sales - Zetsche

Mar.16 (GMM) Success in formula one is translating perfectly into Mercedes' road car sales.

That is the claim of Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, with the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial reporting that growth in Mercedes' sales has been 20 per cent since the start of the new 'power unit' era.

"Last year we sold more cars than ever," Zetsche said.

"It is difficult to scientifically correlate our efforts and successes in motor sport and the business side, but I am totally convinced that it was not by accident that in the last three years our brand has achieved a great boost that has translated to huge sales," he added.

Team boss Toto Wolff, however, has gone on the record this week to question the size of the current F1 calendar, featuring an unprecedented 21 grands prix.

But Zetsche seems happy, explaining: "There are hundreds of millions of viewers of each race worldwide, and this is only comparable to events like the world cup or Olympics.

"The difference is that they take place every four years and yet we have 21 races this year. It is a great platform and therefore extremely important to us."