In a twist of fate, Honda F1 Team has been saved from an imminent departure from F1 racing. Not by David Richards of ProDrive or Force India’s Vijay Mallya but from a source not common to the world of Formula One racing. Mexican billionaire and the worlds second richest man, Carlos Slim Helu has paid the symbolic single dollar Honda was asking.
Earlier this month Honda announced its immediate departure from F1. It gave the team 27 days to find a bona fide buyer who is able to make a credible 3-year commitment to run the team. Honda said it would assist with finances and technical support if such a purchaser was found. It is believed Mr. Slim is prepared to fund the F1 team to the tune of a healthy $300 million per year.
The report remains unofficial but if it proves to be true then it will mean a few good things to the 2009 F1 season; it will add another privateer team to the grid, it will let Ross Brawn continue creating the team he’s been dying to lead since he was at Ferrari, and it will return the name “Senna” to the grid. Bruno, Ayrton Senna’s nephew, is sponsored by Embratel, a subsidiary of Slim’s Telmex company, and will certainly replace Rubens Barrichello as the one flying the Brazilian flag.
Source: F1-Live, AutoBlog
