No Mexican buyout for Honda

Eurosport - Sun, 28 Dec 18:15:00 2008

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has not bought the Honda Formula One team and is not even in negotiations for the Japanese outfit.

2008 Turkish GP Honda Barrichello - 0

"There is no deal for the Honda team. There is neither agreement nor negotiations," a source at the businessman's industrial and financial empire said on condition of anonymity.

Honda, with an annual racing budget of around £275 million, pulled out of the Formula One world championship earlier this month and was put up for sale with the Japanese manufacturer struggling in the current global economic slowdown.

Earlier reports, Slim's son had also told the Mexican media that reports of a deal to save Honda were also without foundation.

On Saturday, Italian newspaper La Stampa claimed that Slim, who they described as the world's second richest man, was poised to buy the Honda team.

"The saviour has arrived at the last minute: Carlos Slim, 67 years old, the second richest man in the world," said the newspaper.

"The news is not official as all the details have yet to be formalised. But two things are certain - the team has been saved and the drivers will be Jenson Button and rookie Bruno Senna in place of Rubens Barrichello."

La Stampa, which did not identify the source of its story, added that Senna, the nephew of former triple world champion Ayrton Senna, is sponsored by Embratel, part of Slim's Telmex group.

Honda first competed in F1 in 1964 and clocked up three Grand Prix wins, including Button's in Hungary in 2006.

Its engines were also behind dozens of victories by stars such as Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

The team finished ninth in the constructors championship this season with 14 points.

Veteran driver Barrichello achieved the team's best result with a third-place finish at Silverstone.

Honda Motor also supplied engines and other technical support to Formula One team Super Aguri, which called it quits due to financial problems in May.

Motorsport in Japan had been particularly hit by the recession with Subaru and Suzuki pulling out of the world rally championship.

AFP

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  1. lol...why is this marino/marion character still goin on­ about glock and hamilton? what a loser LOL

    From stagga y, on Tue 6 Jan 11:00PM

  2. HE LOST ALL RESPECT FROM THE DRIVERS
    Then hes team­ mclaren cheat in stealing top f1 secrets in what was­ the biggest spy scandal in f1 history!!
    They should of­ been banned for long Time but continued and so did mr­ hamiltons son continue bashing other drivers out of way­ in hes strive for the ultimate prize the F1 TITLE..­
    Soon came end of season and with all the bashing and­ stealing secrets from mclaren mr hamiltons son had­ blown it all again..OH NO HES FATHER CRY,,
    OOHHH but­ wait a min ,, suddenly out of nowhere from over the­ horizon,
    NO SURELY IT CAN NOT BE!!! YES ITS HIM DADDY­ ITS HIM DADDY!! cried baby hamilton

    YES YES ITS­ FATHER GLOCK DADDY ITS FATHER GLOCK and the little boys­ dream came true...out of nowhare like an ALIEN arriving­ from Mars,,,faher glock had deliverd the ultimate prize­ to Mr hamiltons son....but the cost was so severve it­ ended forever F1 as we no it.

    MERRY XMAS­ MCLAREN........FATHER GLOCK.......MCLAREN/HAMILTON­ CHEATIN S.UM

    From , on Wed 31 Dec 4:41PM

  3. Damn, if SLIM doesn't work,
    we need an ULTRA SLIM­ !!!

    From golf in the kingdom, on Tue 30 Dec 8:10PM

  4. This happened to be just another Italian joke, just­ like Ferrari signing Alonso. What’s going on with this­ Italian sports journalists? Should better turn into­ science fiction writers!!!

    From Officeboy, on Tue 30 Dec 7:41PM

  5. tjlcotswolder that was what they say about BMWs. ­ "Built by robots, driven by ......"

    From Bill Mac, on Tue 30 Dec 3:07PM

  6. Italian press like Italian cars; built by robots and­ driven by morons; or is it the other way around!

    From tjlcotswolder, on Tue 30 Dec 12:43PM

  7. Meanwhile, Brawn has hinted that team could be on the­ grid for the 2009 season opener in Melbourne under the­ Honda banner after claiming that they have the funds­ and the means in place to do so. …. I am hoping Berni­ reinstates the two Nth American races. (Berni do it­ sooner rather then later) and this triggers Honda to­ change there minds. Nth America being there most­ lucrative market. Here’s Keeping my fingers cross.

    From jd.patel, on Tue 30 Dec 1:52AM

  8. The Formula 1 Season is now over. The 2009 season­ starts on March 29th with the Australian GP.

    From , on Mon 29 Dec 10:10PM

  9. Lady Di for Ferrari in 2011 I heard.....

    From Donald D, on Mon 29 Dec 8:40PM

  10. Lady D?
    are you mad?

    From golf in the kingdom, on Mon 29 Dec 8:19PM

  11. cabron

    From golf in the kingdom, on Mon 29 Dec 8:00PM

  12. The Italian press are the most idiotic of all the­ world. They destroy things before they blossom and that­ includes Lady Di

    From EleanaV, on Mon 29 Dec 5:23PM

  13. MARION, thas a reight weirdo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    From bartley920, on Mon 29 Dec 3:08PM

  14. such a shame if honda dont appear at melbourne.

    From greyhoundpaul, on Mon 29 Dec 1:30PM

  15. The Formula 1 Season is now over. The 2009 season­ starts on March 29th with the Australian GP.

    From Vi, on Mon 29 Dec 9:48AM

  16. Sense prevails........ I very much want Honda's F1­ Team to reappear on the grid at Melbourne in another­ guise, but the spin put out by the Italian press is­ cruel and insensitive. Relistically, Honda needs­ another F1 team to take it on, because the question of­ whose engine they will be using will need to be solved.

    From , on Mon 29 Dec 7:48AM

  17. This is why it is best not to believe what you read in­ newspapers. Most of it is speculation.. So much for­ "mourontoot" & his inside info more bull­ from him..

    From Tonka, on Mon 29 Dec 6:48AM

  18. Bernard go buy the dvd review of 2008 if you want to­ watch Glock and Hamilton onboard you cheap skate...why­ did Glock move to the right? are you stupid or did you­ not see he couldnt control his car?....if you know­ anything about f1 then you should know that its­ impossible to drive slicks on a wet track and the last­ sector was very wet,including the racing line...i was­ there so i am pretty sure i have a better understanding­ of the track conditions than you who was probably­ watching it frm a 14' tv

    From victor a, on Mon 29 Dec 2:24AM

  19. Marion Marnio Bernard.
    Please stop to post your @#$%.­ It leaves no room for ours. Please stop to be silly.­ Your messages make us to look very bad. Ferrari are the­ best and Macladron very bad, but you must not to­ continue put that rubish. Glock was not the problem- is­ the fia. They allways favor the Macldron men. They let­ them to race in 2008 and no descualifie hamilton. What­ a ridicule.

    From Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, on Sun 28 Dec 11:32PM

  20. birnie and mario, two jerks, Honda Down the BUTT­ HOLE............

    From harleyboy, on Sun 28 Dec 10:51PM
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