http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/8328871 Tuesday January 27 2009 By Alan Baldwin LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The Honda Formula One team played down talk of an end of month deadline for their survival on Tuesday and said they continued to work towards the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in March. "Don't focus too much on any speculation regarding time frames and deadlines," said a team spokeswoman. "Work on our race car is progressing well. "We're optimistic but it may not be possible to comment further for some time." Japan's second biggest carmaker shocked Formula One last month when it announced it was pulling out of the sport due to the global economic downturn that has ravaged sales and slashed profits. According to some estimates, the parent company spent more than $300 million on its under-performing British-based Formula One team last year. In return, they took a meagre 14 points from 18 races. The fate of the team has become the big question hanging over Formula One, with the clock ticking towards the first race in Melbourne on March 29 and the possibility of there being only nine teams with 18 drivers on the starting grid. Chief executive Nick Fry said this month that Honda had narrowed their options down to a shortlist of about 12 serious offers. Fry subsequently denied any personal conflict of interest after media reports suggested that he was trying to organise a management buyout while vetting would-be purchasers. BUTTON LIMBO McLaren's partners Mercedes have said they are willing to provide engines to whoever buys the team. However Honda team principal Ross Brawn has recognised that it will take six weeks' work to modify the car to accommodate a different engine. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who has been involved in the efforts to find a buyer, appeared to change tack at the weekend when he said drivers mattered more than teams. "We are not pessimistic in the slightest," he told the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "Nine teams won't make any difference. It's about drivers, not teams." Honda's withdrawal has also left the career of British driver Jenson Button on hold, along with the hopes of Brazilian rookie Bruno Senna who had been tipped to partner the former race winner. A spokeswoman for Button said the Monaco-based driver, who has committed himself to helping the team survive, was continuing to train as normal. Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso have the only vacancy on the starting grid and that team's delay in naming a driver to partner Swiss newcomer Sebastien Buemi could be significant. Button worked with Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost at Williams when that team was powered by BMW and is known to be highly rated by the Austrian as well as being a good fit for owners Red Bull. However four times ChampCar champion Sebastien Bourdais drove for Toro Rosso last year and the Frenchman still looks the favourite to be retained ahead of Japanese comeback contender Takuma Sato. Toro Rosso have said only that they will name their second driver "at some point" before Melbourne. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Justin Palmer)
Twelve?!? who does this include? Okay, so let's say I decide to buy Honda F1. I'm now an F1 team owner, and sign Bernie's new Concorde Agreement. Do I automatically get 14.5m euros (or pounds, whichever it is)?
****ing Bernie should just buy the team! What else does he have to spend his money on? He has enough to leave his daughters, maybe some for Max's hookers and kinky porn, other then that, cough it up old man!
Jim, he could rename it Brahbam again, but seriously it is not a bad idea. Tony George did the samething in the IRL to prop up the Car Count prior to the Champ Merger.
