By Ian Parkes
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer*
MONTE CARLO, Monaco (Ticker) -- FIA president Max Mosley on
Tuesday confirmed any prospective buyer for Honda would be
assisted by the Japanese giant through 2009.
Honda sensationally pulled out of Formula One on Friday, citing
the global economic crisis and a dramatic slump in worldwide car
sales.
The team's owners are now ready to sell, inclusive of the
ultra-modern facilities at their headquarters in Brackley, for a
cut-price bargain.
However, former BAR team principal Dave Richards stated this
week such an offer was not sugar-coated given the overheads of
running the factory.
Mosley understands, though, to facilitate any deal - with the
hope a new owner will be found before Christmas - Honda Motor
Co. Ltd. are ready to offer a helping hand.
"If a serious buyer came along then Honda would help to keep it
going," Mosley confirmed to PA Sport at the Motor Sport Forum in
Monte Carlo. "Any person would then be on their own in 2010, but
they would get some help in 2009. That's my understanding.
"It becomes a reasonable proposition for an entrepreneur,
providing he is satisfied we (the FIA) are going to get the
costs down in 2010."
Mosley has already outlined his plans for that season, which
sees the potential introduction of a standardized engine at a
cost of roughly $10 million per season for the three years of
the contract.
"If we can get proper measures in place for 2010 then unless
something completely out of this world happens, we would be all
right for then," added Mosley. "But for now, 2009 is going to be
a bit difficult.
"People are taking enormous steps to try and put it right, but
because we are in unknown territory and because there are no
text books on this, nobody quite knows what is going to happen.
All we can do is try to plan for every contingency."
Mosley concedes Formula One is in limbo due to the uncertain
future of the car industry.
Given Honda's demise, it has placed a question mark over whether
the five remaining manufacturers - Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz,
Renault, Toyota and BMW - will follow suit and bow out of the
sport.
"From a motorsport point of view, nobody knows if it (the
economic crisis) is going to get worse, or whether we have seen
the worst, or whether it will improve," Mosley said. "Even the
economists don't know. It is quite an alarming situation.
"As far as motor sport is concerned, it's essential to plan for
the worst case, and to have contingency plans in place to deal
with the situation if it does get much worse. We have to face
the fact Honda pulled out because of falling car sales, and
there is absolutely no guarantee that the fall won't go
further."
Mosley believes money will continue to drain out of F1, even in
terms of revenue from supremo Bernie Ecclestone given the prize
fund is dependent upon television and the deals with the
circuits.
"We need a stable Formula One, a stable engine, ensuring people
can go racing for a reasonable amount of money," Mosley said.
"Make no mistake, the money is going to go down. The
manufacturers cannot go on subsidizing Formula One to the tune
of hundreds of millions of pounds.
"The sponsors are going to pay less, and the money that comes
from FOM (Formula One Management Limited) and Bernie Ecclestone
is bound to go down."