A Marussia auction scheduled to take place on Wednesday has been cancelled, amid a potential rescue deal emerging which could see the team make the first race of the season.
The outfit entered administration in October which saw it miss the final three races of the 2014 season.
Much of its equipment was sold off in December by administators FRP Advisory in an attempt to recover some of the teams £31 million debts.
However, the equipment necessary to operate the team remains at their factory – which is now owned by Gene Haas – and was set to be auctioned off on Wednesday. That has now been postponed indefinitely whilst rescue talks are underway.
“[We’re] at a fairly advanced stage with a new investor – a credible investor,” Marussia boss John Booth told BBC Sport on Monday.
He said the auction had been postponed “to allow for discussions to continue with a third party, [which] gives us a bit more time to explore [the deal].”
When asked how confident he was of a deal happening, he replied: “Pretty high,” but added, “time is of the essence.”
Should the team come to an agreement with the investor, then it would require special dispensation from the FIA to run their 2014 car as time to construct and develop their 2015 chassis would be an impossibility.
During a Strategy Group meeting last year, it was agreed that both Marussia and Caterham would be allowed to use their old cars, but it would still require a World Motor Sport Council fax vote.
