The Renault team will sort out the details of it's F1 future in a meeting held in Paris today, with rumours now emerging that the French manufacturer is set to sell off it's Formula One team to perennial F1 entry failure Dave Richards and his Prodrive company.
The future of the Renault name in the sport was called into question following the surprise withdrawal of Toyota and the end of the 2009 season, as the manufacturer era of the sport began to fade. The company held meetings following Toyota's announcement, but delayed a final decision until the end of the year.
Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn has been less than impressed with the company's F1 exploits since he assumed control of the company, and the gruelling 2009 season the team endured, with Fixgate crippling the team's management structure and sponsor base, has left the teams future looking shaky.
Ghosn said in an interview with Forbes magazine last month that there were "a lot of questions that we need to resolve" regarding the current state of F1.
And although the Renault brand is not expected to withdraw completely from the sport, speculation is mounting that the manufacturer will revert to life as an engine supplier in 2010, selling their F1 operation but continuing to provide engines for the new team and Red Bull.
In the last 24 hours, Dave Richards and his Prodrive operation has been revealed to be a strong contender to buy up the team, after Richards failed to gain an automatic entry to the 2010 grid in his latest efforts to get Prodrive in the sport.
Although Richards himself has not made any comment about the rumours, a Prodrive spokesman said that the company's F1 intentions were "well known", though he was unclear on the potential of a move for the Renault team.
"We cannot comment on the Renault situation, but it is well known that our intention is to get back into F1," the spokesman said, "We proved our credentials earlier this year when we had a strong business case for an entry, but having had an engine deal with Mercedes-Benz in place we were not willing to sacrifice our competitiveness."
Should Prodrive secure a deal to buy the team, it is understood that the team would work with Gerard Lopez, who runs the Gravity Sports Management company which represents a number of drivers, including Ho-Pin Tung, who tested for Renault at Jerez this week.
Any decision made today about a sale of the team would not be able to be confirmed until a meeting of Renault's main board next week.
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