Mercedes GP are reportedly looking to hire ex-Ferrari technical director Aldo Costa, in a bid to improve their staffing capabilities.
Costa was ousted at Ferrari after the 2011 challenger, the F150º Italia, struggled to match the pace of the Red Bull RB7 and McLaren MP4-26 in the early stages of the season.
The Italian is currently on ‘gardening leave’ until the end of the season, meaning he can’t seek employment until then.
Mercedes recently began a drive to increase their staffing levels after Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche gave the go ahead for Ross Brawn to hire more employees to match the levels at Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.
The Brackley-based outfit has about 100 employees less than the aforementioned teams after the management buy-out in 2009, as a result of Honda pulling out of the sport.
Brawn believes the lower numbers have been a significant contributor to their slower development rate, when compared to the leading teams.
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