Following reports in the Italian media claiming that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has "saved" Honda, representatives for the man reputed to be the second wealthiest on earth have issued a statement stating that there is no truth to the story.

A statement issued on behalf of Slim reads:

"The Telmex Team can confirm that Carlos Slim Helu has not bought the Honda F1 team nor is holding any negotiations to do so. Therefore all information related to this subject has no basis and is completely false."

While there had been speculation over the last few days linking the Mexican with the Brackley outfit, it was Italian newspaper La Stampa which claimed Slim had "saved" the team, even going so far as to 'confirm' its driver line-up for 2009.

While some sections of the media backed up the original claim, claiming to have learned that Slim is one of four potential buyers, Honda team boss Ross Brawn told the Daily Telegraph: "We would love it if it were true but it's pure speculation from various members of the media. It's just been one of those rumours which has developed a life of its own."

With Honda having set a January deadline before totally pulling the plug on the Brackley operation, Brawn remains confident: "There has been a huge amount of interest," said the Englishman. "It's now got to the stage where we need to filter out the serious from the not so serious.

"We're all hopeful that something will happen and we're anxious to turn up the wick again in the new year," he continued. "We haven't really lost anything yet as it has still only been a few weeks. Everything is in place although we have had to turn down various programmes. We have enough funding to get us through to Melbourne and we still have a competitive package.