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Bernie: Aguri won't find a buyer

Thursday 8th May 2008

Bernie Ecclestone has questioned whether anyone will step in to buy Super Aguri, believing there are already "a lot of people walking around with a begging bowl".

The small Japanese team folded on Tuesday, and were immediately placed into administration, with a corporate recovery team now actively pursuing a potential buyer.

Joint administrators PKF said in a statement they were "seeking to sell the business as a going concern to a company or individual looking to launch a Formula One or other motor sport operation".

It was claimed "several expressions of interest have already been received".

However, Super Aguri collapsed with debts of £50million owed to parent company Honda who have supplied the team with engines and chassis since their inception in late 2005.

Formula One supremo Ecclestone conceded to being sorry to see the team founded by former driver Aguri Suzuki leave the sport.

"I'm sorry to see anybody go. We had no problem with them," Ecclestone said.

But the man who has turned Formula One into a multi-million pound business was not prepared to save Super Aguri himself.

As far as he is concerned he cannot see another investor willing to spend a fortune in resurrecting a now-defunct team.

"I didn't want to put in 100million (dollars), which is what was needed," remarked Ecclestone.

"For somebody else it might have been okay, but it wasn't for me.

"If somebody could properly fund it then it would be good, but there are a lot of people walking around with a begging bowl."

Super Aguri's departure effectively leaves two spots open on the grid for next year as Prodrive were due to be up and running this year, only to pull out due to the 'customer car' wrangle.

Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix will see only 10 teams on the grid for the first time since the end of 2005, and Ecclestone is happy with that.

"It leaves two spots open, but we're not looking for 12 teams, we're looking for 10.

"But because we have to be competitive and let people come in, it's not a closed shop. It's open."

In Ecclestone's eyes there was at least one benefit behind the fact Super Aguri are no more as he seriously added: "More room.

"It means we have a lot more room now because the teams are expanding like crazy with their hospitality units and their trucks and everything. We're always running out of room."

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