Niki Lauda has hit back at claims Mercedes is set to bail out its struggling F1 engine rival Honda.
In Barcelona, rumours are swirling that Mercedes will either help Honda to develop its uncompetitive and unreliable power unit, equip McLaren with customer engines, or both.
McLaren and Mercedes team figures were seen meeting in the Mercedes motor home for 45 minutes earlier in Barcelona.
But Mercedes team chairman Lauda told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper: "It’s all nonsense. Why should we help Honda when we have our own car?"
Indeed, the great Austrian tipped Honda to improve on its own.
"There are skilled engineers at Honda, as they show in MotoGP, which is also a state of the art engine," he said.