By Phil Huff (29/05/2004)
May 29 2004

Amid rumours that Roman Abramovich wants to buy into Formula One, David Richards has emphatically denied that Lucky Strike BAR Honda is up for sale. "As things improve at this team and as the team gets better, which it inevitably will do over the next couple of years," explained team principal David Richards to Reuters, "clearly now is not the time when BAT would be interested in selling at the bottom of the market when they've also got two more years of advertising to secure.

"Their interest is stability in the team," he continued, "making sure the team delivers now on the performance that it is looking for to earn the maximum amount of investment in the advertising, not just to sell the team for a quick buck."

David Richards is known to be interested in becoming a permanent part of BAR's future, and it's widely assumed that his Prodrive company, successful in other areas of motorsport, will become a significant shareholder.

When asked about his plans to become a fully fledged team owner, Richards replied that we're "quite right... about my relationship with BAT and the future of the team."