As the clock to Melbourne clicks down to less than 40 days, the latest rumour in the Honda saga is that Sir Richard Branson may be the mysterious late bidder for the Brackley-based team.

It seems clear that the proposed management buyout, led by Nick Fry and Ross Brawn, came close to fruition in recent days, until reports that an 'unnamed third party' stepped in at the eleventh hour.

The Daily Telegraph quoted a source as describing the unnamed company as 'reputable, able to bring long-term financial stability, with a brand image known throughout the world.
'

"Formula one would do well to have them on board," the source added.

Branson heads the predominantly travel, entertainment and lifestyle brand Virgin.

Source: GMM
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Petrobras, the former Williams sponsor and supplier that was set to switch to Honda in 2009, has ruled out becoming involved with the Brackley-based team's new guise.

It has been reported that, with Brazilian rookie Bruno Senna at the wheel, the Rio-based energy company as well as Embratel might support the Nick Fry and Ross Brawn-led attempted management buyout.

But even though a deal was believed to have been in place for Petrobras to sponsor Honda this year, the Japanese manufacturer's shock withdrawal from the sport voided the contract.

Petrobras' head of sponsorship Claudio Thompson is quoted by Brazil's TV Jornal as saying he has ‘no idea’ where the most recent speculation came from.

Senna, meanwhile, confirmed that he has ‘good chances’ to race with the Brackley team in 2009 if it survives, but insisted that "no contracts have been signed with anyone.
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The Brazilian newspaper O Globo, meanwhile, carried an official statement from Petrobras, with Thompson insisting the company is not interested in a solely commercially-based relationship with a team.

"When Honda announced it was leaving Formula One, we also decided to stop because all the teams funded by automakers already have fuel suppliers for 2009," the statement read.

Petrobras also said it is not interested in sponsoring individual drivers.

Meanwhile, Honda Team Principal Ross Brawn told the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport: "The less that is spoken, the greater the chance that we can save the project."

Source: GMM
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USF1, the prospective American Formula One team targeting a 2010 debut, prefers setting up a brand new entrant than rescuing the embattled Honda outfit.

That is the admission of Ken Anderson, one of the principal USF1 figures working on establishing a Charlotte, North Carolina, base with a secondary European season headquarters in northern Spain.

It has been suggested, however, that with Honda on the market for a token fee and with state-of-the-art facilities at Brackley, USF1 might be wiser to step up as the outfit's saviour.

But Anderson told the Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell that there is more to the Honda situation than that.


"In the same way you could go and buy GM, because those shares are cheap," he said, referring to the embattled American carmaker that is said to be facing bankruptcy.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

 

I don't understand why USF1 wouldn't want to buy Honda. It would be much more economical compared to doing everything from scratch. Then again, Honda was never that good so maybe starting over with a clean slate is a better idea.