Ecclestone barracking for Virgin victory for Honda F1

Bernie Ecclestone on Thursday made it clear he is barracking for a Virgin victory as the Honda sale saga enters its final days.

It is clear that flamboyant British billionaire Sir Richard Branson's late bid was a spanner in the works of a proposed management-buyout headed by Nick Fry and Ross Brawn.

Ecclestone, F1's chief executive, told the Mirror: "If Virgin are interested and people say they want the same management, then that's great too."

It is said that multiple parties are bidding for the Brackley based team, but Ecclestone said he would welcome Branson and the Virgin brand "with open arms".

"He's exactly the type of person we would want in the sport," Branson's fellow billionaire added.

"Sir Richard Branson is a wonderful guy. I met him at Monza last year and we got on very well," added Ecclestone.

Reports indicate that deadlines are looming, with Mercedes-Benz wanting initial payments for its customer engines and the Honda board needing to clarify the issue with mere weeks to go until Melbourne.

A spokesman for Honda Motor Co. warned on Thursday: "The team may still have to be disbanded if the negotiations fail."