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Slim Denies Honda F1 Takeover

Only one day after La Stampa newspaper predicted that Carlos Slim is only moments away from becoming the owner of Honda's F1 team, the man himself, through an official statement released by Telmex the other day, denies purchasing the team or having any plans of investing in the Brackley-based outfit.

“Escuderia Telmex informs you that Carlos Slim Helú did not buy and did not close any negotiations with the Honda F1 team, as all the information and assumptions on the matter have been completely false,” said the statement.

Rumors about Slim being interested in purchasing the Honda F1 assets have been circulating inside the media following the Mexican billionaire visiting the Brackley headquarters just before Christmas.

However, Slim's spokesman Renato Flores insisted that, even if such rumors were to be true, the 67-year old Telmex owner would not have been involved anyway, but his elder son Carlos Slim Jr. He currently manages the Telmex Racing Team (or Escuderia Telmex) and is known to be a racing enthusiast.

However, Slim Jr. reportedly denied his interest in buying Honda's F1 team earlier this year, according to Mexican sports publication Cancha. He argued his decision by the lack of Mexican drivers ready to make the big step into Formula 1.

Mexico's best chance of having a driver representing the country in the Great Circle is 17-year old Esteban Gutierrez, newly-crowned champion of the highly-competitive Formula BMW Europe. He is expected to make his A1 GP debut this season, as he's currently competing for A1 Team Mexico in the rookie sessions. Gutierrez is regarded as the most talented Mexican driver of his generation.

In the meantime, Honda is still looking for someone to buy their F1 team, with reports showing that Prodrive boss David Richards – believed to benefit from financial backing by the Kuwait-based Dar Investment company – and even Force India's Vijay Mallya have shown interest in purchasing the Brackley-based team during the last few weeks.
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