05/12/2008
NEWS STORY
Honda boss Nick Fry claims that there are three potential buyers for the Brackley based outfit following the Japanese giant's sensational decision to withdraw from F1 with immediate effect.
"In the last 12 hours we've had three serious people come and suggest they'd like to buy the team," he told the BBC.
"We're one of the best-funded teams and have the best assets and resources in the pitlane, we'll be quite a desirable asset for somebody," he added.
As news of the withdrawal sinks in those within and outside the paddock are not only wondering who might be next, but where responsibility for the situation lies.
While Takeo Fukui has cited the global recession, paying particular reference to the "sub-prime problem in the United States", surely some of the blame lies a lot closer to home.
While marketing director David Butler is said to have written to sponsors, cynics might well ask, what sponsors? Despite the grand claims behind the 'MyEarthDream' concept, many within the business are all too aware that this was merely to cover up for the fact that the Brackley team was unable to find a serious sponsor once British American Tobacco had withdrawn. With almost all the team's revenue coming directly from the parent company, leaving the F1 team nothing to fall back on, it was almost inevitable that the cash flow would dry up.
Furthermore, citing the worldwide recession as the reason for the end of the impossible dream does not detract from the fact that Honda woefully underperformed in 2007 and 2008 though not for want of investment from Japan.
Nonetheless, Fry remains confident that a buyer will be found, even though the clock is ticking.
"We're very hopeful, as are most commentators, that we'll take a big step up," he said. "It's a big opportunity for somebody.
"We have 700 people working for the team. It's business as usual, we have to go through the usual three month consultation period with staff to decide future of the company and during that period we're hoping we'll find a buyer."
The big question is who? Fact is, as Honda has pointed out, there is a recession, people are not buying cars. Therefore, as three of the biggest automobile manufacturers in the United States hope for a government bailout who else is out there?
The fact is that at present it is a far easier task to surmise who might be next to pull the plug rather than who might be next to enter the sport, certainly in the current financial climate.