Flamboyant industrialist Vijay Mallya’s chances of owning the F1 team of Honda are now brighter with another front-runner Carlos Slim’s Telmex Racing Team denying reports of the Mexcian billionaire buying the Japanese auto maker’s outfit.
The Telegraph today reported that Honda Racing has denied talks with Slim regarding a possible acquisition.
“Honda Racing have denied that they are in talks with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim regarding a potential takeover, with team principal Ross Brawn dismissing the rumours as pure speculation,” the report published online today said.
Last week, automotive industry website Motor Authority in a report said Slim, Force India’s Mallya and UK-based motorsport and auto engineering group Prodrive’s David Richards have emerged potential buyers for Honda’s F1 team.
Meanwhile, a foreign agency today reported that Telmex, the racing team owned by Slim has denied reports of the billionaire buying the Japanese auto maker’s F1 team.
Yesterday, Italian newspaper said that Slim planned to acquire the team.
Earlier this month, Honda had announced that it was pulling out of F1 racing mainly due to the financial turmoil which has adversely impacted the auto industry.
“Slim, who is reputedly worth $60 billion thanks to his substantial influence over the telecommunications industry in Mexico and much of Latin America, was said to have visited Brackley in his private helicopter before Christmas,” a newspaper informed on Monday.
Quoting Brawn, the British daily reported that while talks are ongoing with “a number of interested parties,” speculation concerning the Mexican billionaire is wide of the mark.
“We would love it if it were true... But it is pure speculation from various members of the media. It is just been one of those rumours which has developed a life of its own,” Brawn was quoted as saying.
According to the publication, Brawn stressed that discussions were ongoing with a number of other parties and stressed that the team, who have continued to develop their 2009 car, were still an attractive proposition to potential investors.
Further, quoting Brawn, the daily noted that there has been a huge amount of interest.
“It has now got to the stage where we need to filter out the serious from the not so serious. We are all hopeful that something will happen and we are anxious to turn up the wick again in the new year,” the report quoted Brawn as saying.
