Formula One: Could We Be Seeing Aston Martin On The Grid In '09?

David Richards, the former team principal of both BAR and Benetton F1 teams recently purchased Aston Martin from Ford for £479 million. 

Why am I telling you this? Well it has been confirmed that David Richards is one of the buyers interested in the Honda F1 team, and has shown promising interest in the outfit.

Does David Richards and Aston Martin have what it takes to compete in F1?

The millionaire, often described as the Richard Branson of Motorsport, owns a racing team named Prodrive, which competes in the World Rally Championship with the Subaru Rally Team, it also competes in the 24hr Le Mans with the above Aston Martin, in which it came second in 2008.

So Prodrive has the credentials and taste of success needed to succeed in Formula One. It also has the Ferrari type passion which is needed in F1, the soul of Aston Martin, or as they'd put it, Power.Beauty.Soul and rightly so. 

Max Mosley and the FIA granted Prodrive entry into F1 for the 2008 season, but Williams scuppered the plans when they challenged the use of customer cars, which then meant Prodrive had to pull out. Richards still made out that his intentions were to enter F1 in the near future.

Prodrive and Aston Martin both have good connections with Mercedes-Benz, a current engine supplier for both. Could this mean Mercedes will supply three teams on the grid in 2009? Ferrari did it in 2008, so it seems likely.

Prodrive revealed that it is relocating to a new factory based in Wroxall, Warwickshire named the Fulcrum. The facility is an up-to-date factory and testing facility which has been rumored to be the home of the Prodrive F1 development team. The base can hold over 1,000 employees, currently the amount Mclaren have working for them.

So he has the brand, the passion, the soul, the factory, the experience, the engine supplier, the drive the intentions and past success. To me, it sounds like a perfect marriage made in heaven, and one I would thoroughly back.

Just don't expect the team to be called Aston Martin Mercedes, because it will never happen. Would you want to put the reputation of the coolest brand (as voted by the world) on the line, and see the team fail? Expect it to be named Prodrive F1 or Prodrive Mercedes F1.