The latest Honda rumour doing the rounds (yawn) has Virgin buying the beleaguered Brackley outfit.

However, contrary to reports Pitpass can reveal that it was Honda who approached the Virgin Group, not the other way round.

Talking to Pitpass' business reporter Chris Sylt, Will Whitehorn, Virgin Group's Brand Development and Corporate Affairs Director, when asked whether Sir Richard Branson would be interested in F1, said: "I don't think Sir Richard would be interested in all honesty as he has only been to a handful of F1 GPs and Virgin have never been a sponsor in that field."

When asked whether there is any truth in the rumours that Virgin is looking at buying the Honda F1 team, Whitehorn replied: "I don't think much apart from the fact that I believe Virgin Group was approached by Honda recently. I doubt the appetite will be that enormous given that Virgin recently took over sponsorship of the London marathon."

While speculation over the fate of the Brackley outfit continues, there is said to be serious concern in Japan as to how the sale of the team is being handled in the UK, which some sections of the Japanese media alleging that the negotiations are being hampered by certain parties involved in the process.

This, in turn, has led to talk of a hostile buy-out from a potential buyer who is interested in the team but not the present management.