From Autosport.com
Honda's hopes of getting their second Formula One team off the ground appear to be faltering, following the decision this week to not allow teams to run customer cars before 2008, autosport.com has learned.
The Japanese car manufacturer had hoped to be able to run a satellite operation next year with a version of the 2006 BAR008 and customer Honda V8 engines to allow Takuma Sato to continue his F1 career. It was widely believed that the operation would be run by Super Aguri Racing.
However, with the plans coming together at such a late stage, the team needed to be given the green light by rival outfits to run customer parts - an action that is outlawed under the Concorde Agreement.
Although there have been recent moves to free up the possibility of teams running customer cars or parts, autosport.com has learned that approval was not given at the Formula One Commission meeting earlier this week for any relaxing of the current restrictions. This is a major blow to Honda's hopes to run a second team next year.
FIA president Max Mosley told autosport.com that there was no chance of customer cars being allowed in F1 for another two years.
"Not until 2008," he said. "The thing of selling the cars and parts in 2008 is that there is no Concorde Agreement (beyond then) so unless we renew that restriction as part of the Concorde Agreement, that limit has gone.
"But until then, you must have the intellectual property rights to your car, and the parts must not be designed or manufactured by another constructor. They can be (made) by a third party like Lola, but not a constructor. You cannot just buy a car."
That stipulation will almost certainly make it impossible for BAR to help out the new Honda team in time for next year, even though sources claim that the funding had been put in place for the new outfit to run in 2006.
Furthermore, it is too late for the new team to get an independent design and manufacturing process ready before the start of next year, even though Japanese racing car constructor Dome has been linked with the project.
A final decision needs to be taken by November 15, the deadline for new entries for the 2006 Formula One World Championship.
Should the team fail to get sorted by then, it still remains likely that they will try and get off the ground for 2007, because they will have enough time to resolve the manufacturing and design issues, and Dome could still assist as a 'third party' in 2007.
It is also not clear yet what impact the F1 Commission decision will have on Red Bull Racing's plans to supply versions of their RB1 car to the new Squadra Toro Rosso outfit, although the team may be able to proceed as long as the junior outfit builds and manufacturer the car and its parts themselves.
