Honda team future looking 'good'

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By Jonathan Noble    Tuesday, February 24th 2009, 12:38 GMT

Honda detailEfforts behind the scenes to safeguard the future of Honda Racing remain on course, autosport.com has learned, despite Japanese bosses suggesting on Monday they can see no 'serious buyer' for the outfit.

A statement earlier this week from outgoing Honda CEO Takeo Fukui, following a board meeting in Japan, suggested that the Japanese car manufacturer was losing faith in being able to find someone to take over the running of the outfit.

"There are various offers for the team but we have not seen any serious buyer yet," Fukui said. "We find the sale process difficult."

However, despite those comments appearing to be a blow to Honda Racing's chances of preventing the team being shut down, high level sources have revealed that optimism remains high that the matter can be sorted soon.

A senior figure at the team said that despite Fukui's comments the situation was far from bleak, and in fact looked 'good'.

It is understood senior management made it clear from the start of negotiations that they only wanted to press ahead with an option that would safeguard as many jobs as possible at Brackley, and put the team in a position to fight for a top three spot in the world championship.

The most likely outcome from the current situation remains a management buyout, involving both team principal Ross Brawn and CEO Nick Fry. Sources suggest that rumours that the latter has been forced out are ?premature'.

The hopes of Brawn and Fry being able to put together a deal have been helped with engine supplier Mercedes-Benz believed to be willing to hang on as long as it can to finalise a supply deal for 2009.

Although there had been rumours that Honda had a Monday deadline to provide guarantees to Mercedes-Benz that they had the finances in place if a deal was going to happen, the German car maker is in fact doing all it can to help ensure a positive outcome for Honda.

As part of its determination to support F1 and help ensure a full grid of cars in Melbourne, it is understood that Mercedes-Benz will hold on as long as it can for a deal to be put in place.

Should a management buyout of Honda Racing go ahead, there is still a chance the team could get some pre-season testing done before the first race in Australia. The group tests take place at Jerez in Spain next week and at Barcelona later in March.

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Barrichello secures new F1 deal

By Jonathan Noble    Tuesday, March 3rd 2009, 09:40 GMT

Rubens BarrichelloRubens Barrichello will extend his record as the most experienced Formula One driver in history this year, autosport.com has learned, after agreeing a deal to race for the soon-to-be-renamed Honda Racing outfit.

Although it is understood that a final contract has not yet been signed, high level sources close to the Brackley-based team have confirmed that the veteran Brazilian has been given the nod to line up alongside Jenson Button in 2009.

The team are awaiting the final green light from the Honda Motor Company for the imminent management buyout led by Ross Brawn and Nick Fry, and only when that happens will the 2009 deals be finalised.

It is suggested that the situation could be fully resolved by the end of this week, with the team expected to conduct a shakedown of their 2009 challenger in Britain on Friday before joining next week's final group test session at Barcelona in Spain.

"We expect to be able to make an announcement from the company and the team in the near future," the Yomiuri daily quoted a source at the company's Japan headquarters as saying.

"Honda has been making all possible efforts to avoid the worst option of having to disband the team."

Barrichello has started 267 Grands Prix in a career that stretches back to the start of the 1993 season.

Speaking to autosport.com at the end of last year, Barrichello said he was fired up to remain at the Honda Racing despite the uncertainty that had surrounded the team since December.

"I have unfinished business in F1," he said during a visit to England before Christmas to let the team know how keen he was to remain with them. "I am sure I can finish higher up, if not winning the championship. I really believe that is what I deserve.

"It would be a shame not to use the services of someone so eager to do it, plus with all the experience and the speed. It is the right time - and it comes with the willingness to do well.

"If you sign someone with the speed but whose time is over, they will set up the car differently and badly. You are 80 percent of the time going through corners, and you set up the car different compared to someone who comes and wants to go flat out.

"For me, I am still taking it flat - and sometimes this year in qualifying you have that little pimple on your skin saying 'just remember you are not a boy any more' after the corner. So it is still there very much."

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Senna 'upset' after Honda snub

By Pablo Elizalde    Tuesday, March 3rd 2009, 17:02 GMT

Bruno Senna, Honda, Barcelona testingBruno Senna says he is upset following the decision of the soon-to-be-renamed Honda team to choose to stick with Rubens Barrichello over him.

Senna, the nephew of three-time champion Ayrton, was the main favourite to land the second seat alongside Jenson Button if the team were saved.

However, the bosses of the former Honda team have decided to keep Barrichello for another season, leaving Senna with no F1 racing seat for 2009.

Senna said he will have to look elsewhere now, but he admits it will mean a step backwards for him if it's outside of Formula One.

The Brazilian admitted he was annoyed the talks with Honda had taken so long.

"I'm kind of resigned to trying something else. I had a meeting today (Monday) with Ross Brawn and he cancelled," Senna was quoted as saying by Brazil's Agencia Estadao.

"I'm just a little upset because this situation has dragged on for so long, making me lose better professional possibilities.

"Now I'm going to get together with my family, with my advisors, and decide what way to take.

"Anything that I may do will be step backwards. The important thing is to keep Formula One as the top priority. I will bounce back."

Barrichello, meanwhile, insisted nothing had been signed yet, but the veteran racer is hopeful that he will be in action at Barcelona next week.

"My faith says that next week I'll be driving a competitive car in the tests in Barcelona - although I have no document in my hands that assures me of that," he said.

"I've lived four months of waiting and I'm not going to celebrate before crossing the finish line."