Will the Melbourne grid show additional empty spaces?

As the shock news of Honda's Formula One departure sinks in, fears that another team could drop off the 2009 grid are rising.

It was thought Japanese rival Toyota could be the most likely to follow the auto making giant out of the paddock, amid an even worse slump in car sales figures in the key US market.

But it is Red Bull, the Austrian energy drinks company, and owner of two teams, that has issued the most worrying statement, declaring it is "not surprised" by Honda's decision.

"Numerous other race teams are having similar thoughts," the Austrian group is quoted as saying by AFP. "The main issue now is whether the reductions in costs all of us must make will come quickly enough to guarantee a sufficient number of teams carrying on."

Even the sport's major players, like 2008 drivers' World Champions McLaren, are feeling the pinch, with team boss Ron Dennis telling The Observer that annual turnover is likely to drop nearly $150m because of the downturn.


"Our budgets come from the advertising budgets of the companies that support us, and inevitably advertising budgets get slashed or, at least are significantly trimmed in times of economic strife," he said.

Ferrari and McLaren's ongoing participation is solid, and Toyota has confirmed its commitment, but all the signs suggest that one more team could go missing ahead of next March's Australian Grand Prix.

Williams' chief executive Adam Parr told The Times that he expects eight teams to line up on the Melbourne grid, down from the current nine following Honda's pullout.

Similarly, Gerhard Berger, the recently departed Toro Rosso co-owner, told Germany's Der Spiegel that "the only question is 'who is next?'"

Asked by the Press Association if he can imagine another team following Honda out the door, FIA President Max Mosley answered "yes."

真係傳言滿天飛~

無晒廠隊仲好（雖然天方夜談）、最好好似以前70、80年代、９成係私人車隊、仲用埋同一副Ｅｎｇｉｎｅ（以前係Ｆｏｒｄ）、Ｏ甘　就好好睇。

唔知成數有幾多?! 今日有佈道本田車隊有人執手尾, 是世界次富, 估計身家僅次於股神畢菲特的 67歲墨西哥人 Carlos Slim.  靠估專家對史林先生的財富所得數字是 : worth about US$60billion

Slim, who owns the mobile phone company America Movil, recently increased his stake in American luxury retailers Saks to 18 percent. At the start of December his Inbursa brokerage in Mexico bought $150 million (USD) of shares in Citigroup after their price sank to levels not seen since the early 1990's.

Original contact between Honda Racing chiefs and Slim was made late last season, with discussions primarily based on a potential sponsorship link-up between Slim's Telmex company and the team.

This came about through the team's interest in Senna, who is sponsored by Embratel. Bruno Senna is sponsored by Embratel, which is a Brazilian subsidiary of Telmex.

Sources have told that there are four parties considering getting involved - with Slim believed to be heading the running at the moment. It is believed that the other 3 are Prodrive boss David Richards with the Kuwait-based Investment Dar Company (TID), Greek shipping magnate Achilleas Kallakis and an unidentified Swiss group.

Force India boss Vijay Mallya had also been linked with the team, but this is believed to have been purely an interest in the assets should the team have been closed and their facilities put up for sale.

就算以上一切只是初步的傳言, 都係好消息, 起碼有野比你傳吖嘛! 祝馬到功成!!!

我都想知成事後用セ野Engine

Ross Brawn 曾講過他可以接洽用法拉利引擎, 加上印度神力明年由法記轉為平治, 絕對唔係吹水, 不過........原來只係發左24小時都唔夠的夢!

請睇墨西哥次富今朝的澄清:-

The Telmex Racing team owned by Carlos Slim has denied reports that the Mexican billionaire is set to buy Honda’s Formula 1 outfit.

Stories circulating in the South American media and in Italian newspaper La Stampa on Saturday suggested that Slim had reached agreement on a buyout deal that would see Jenson Button and GP2 star Bruno Senna drive for the team.

However, Escuderia Telmex categorically denied the reports in a statement published on its website on Sunday.

It said Slim “has not bought, nor is he negotiating to buy, the Honda Formula 1 team, and therefore all reports to this effect are without foundation and completely false.”