Prodrive - McLaren talks collapse

SO,

According to Autosport.com talks between Prodrive and McLaren over the Banbury-based company running the Woking-built cars next year have collapsed.

A source informed the website that McLaren COO Martin Whitmarsh told staff at the factory that the team are no longer in negotiation with Prodrive.

The issue over the legality of customer cars under the 2007 Concorde Agreement was not under question, as the regulations clearly stated that all teams must run a unique car of their own construction, to which they own the design rights. However, the suggestion was put forward that for 2008, constructors would be allowed to sell chassis as well as engines to other race teams, and it was on these terms that Prodrive lodged their entry for F1.

But now that the '07 rules may be rolled over into next year, Prodrive may not be legally allowed to run customer cars, and the delays over sorting this out have contributed to McLaren supposedly ending talks.

So the question is, if Prodrive are informed that they will be allowed to run another constructor's car next year, what happens next?

I believe that if it is possible, McLaren will seek to run a second team. After all, they tried so hard in early '06 (when the FIA took entries for the 12th slot on the F1 grid) to get the Jean Alesi fronted 'Direxiv F1' onto the grid as an official McLaren 'B' team.

And if after that has failed Prodrive offer the same possibility then why shouldn't McLaren take it?

As it stands McLaren Mercedes are the one of only two manufacturers who have no links with, and supply no parts to other teams and when it was revealed that Prodrive was searching for a partner team, they were the ones out of the three favourites who seemed the most keen to establish a second team.

But now, if as Autosport has been informed, McLaren are no longer interested, then surely Prodrive will turn to the other two options it supposedly chased up originally.

BMW and Renault.

If this becomes the case then surely BMW would be the better option, as it’s cars are clearly more competitive than those of the French manufacturer at the moment, and unlike Renault, they would have no third group that they are providing with engines (Red Bull Racing) to offer a distraction.

However this whole saga is reliant on the outcome of the Court hearing on October 24 which will decide the legality of customer cars in Formula One for 2008, and therefore whether or not Prodrive will feature on the grid next year.

Will chassis sharing be allowed? That’s a total 50-50 call.

But if it is (and providing there is no skeleton-in-the-closet between them that has yet to be revealed) then I really wouldn’t be surprised if McLaren are still the team that Prodrive link up with for next year.

Four McLaren’s on the grid?

Sounds like a Jean Todt nightmare…