David Richards’ Prodrive may sell its twelfth spot on the grid after baulking at behind-the-scenes arguments about customer cars, according to speculation.
Although the British company insists that it remains committed to debuting in 2008, it is rumoured that opposition to the customer car issue could convince Richards to scrap his plans for F1.
He said recently: “I’m not looking for the engine only. I’m trying to buy full cars.”
The FIA’s rules for 2008 and beyond are designed to accommodate the possibility for a smaller team to ‘buy’ a complete car from one of its rivals, but the resistance of some teams was made evident in a recent vote to block Super Aguri from using a Honda chassis next year.
There have also been rumblings about potential legal action, headed by Williams and supported by Spyker and Super Aguri, against Red Bull’s rumoured plans to run four near-identical Adrian Newey-designed cars under the guise of its two teams in 2007.
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
