Aug.4 (GMM) Toro Rosso is at the centre of the F1 rumour mill, as the sport enters its summer break.
As tired team personnel packed up after the post-race Hungarian GP test, word went around the paddock that ousted McLaren supremo Ron Dennis might be interested in buying the junior Red Bull team.
“Well, Ron now has 300 million for his McLaren shares,” Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko laughed to Auto Motor und Sport. “He should call us.”
A more credible rumour is about Toro Rosso’s engine supplier.
Reports suggest Marko met with Honda officials this week, as the Japanese manufacturer is looking to replace the lost Sauber deal.
Asked if that rumour is true, Marko told El Confidencial newspaper: “We’ll see.”
Honda’s Masashi Yamamoto confirmed to Spain’s Diario AS: “We are talking to other teams to see if there is any chance of reaching an agreement to supply them.”
It is believed the rumours might continue until at least September, when McLaren is expected to decide whether to stay with Honda or switch to a rival.
Indeed, when cancelling the Sauber-Honda deal, new boss Frederic Vasseur admitted that part of the reason was because “the situation was unclear regarding the collaboration between McLaren and Honda”.
Finally, there is a rumour Red Bull wants its second team Toro Rosso to relocate to England, but Marko insisted: “That’s nonsense.
“Why then would we have established a super factory in Faenza?”