Ferrari have offered embattled Honda a supply of V8 engines for the upcoming F1 season should they need them, a spokesman for the Italian team confirmed.
“They have asked us whether we would be able to provide them with engines, and we said yes,” the spokesman is quoted as saying by the German news agency SID.
Forumula1.com understands that no deal has yet been reached for the engines, but any such agreement would presumably operate on a similar basis to Ferrari s ongoing arrangement with Toro Rosso.
The news comes after days of speculation about the degree of communication between Honda team principal Ross Brawn and his former employers at Ferrari. A rumour even circulated that Michael Schumacher was prepared to spend his own money to assist Honda in some way, although this remains unlikely.
It would appear that Honda need to find a buyer sooner rather than later in order to maintain their preparations for the 2009 season. Their schedule is likely to have been severely disrupted, to say nothing of the effect of an uncertain future on employee morale.
Speculation linking Prodrive boss and former British American Racing team principal David Richards with a Middle East consortium has as yet come to nothing.
