FIA president Max Mosley today confirmed any prospective buyer for Honda would be assisted by the Japanese giant through 2009.
Honda sensationally pulled out of Formula One on Friday, citing the global economic crisis and a dramatic slump in worldwide car sales.
The team's owners are now ready to sell, inclusive of the ultra-modern facilities at their headquarters in Brackley, for a cut-price bargain.
However, former BAR team principal Dave Richards stated this week such an offer was not sugar-coated given the overheads of running the factory.
Mosley understands, though, to facilitate any deal - with the hope a new owner will be found before Christmas - Honda Motor Co. Ltd. are ready to offer a helping hand.
'
If a serious buyer came along then Honda would help to keep it going,' Mosley confirmed at the Motor Sport Forum in Monte Carlo.
'Any person would then be on their own in 2010, but they would get some help in 2009. That's my understanding.
'It becomes a reasonable proposition for an entrepreneur, providing he is satisfied we (the FIA) are going to get the costs down in 2010.'
Mosley has already outlined his plans for that season, which sees the potential introduction of a standardised engine at a cost of only £5.49million per season for the three years of the contract.
'If we can get proper measures in place for 2010 then unless something completely out of this world happens, we would be all right for then,' added Mosley.
'But for now, 2009 is going to be a bit difficult. People are taking enormous steps to try and put it right, but because we are in unknown territory and because there are no text books on this, nobody quite knows what is going to happen. All we can do is try to plan for every contingency.'
