Stefanovich eyes Marussia's place on F1 grid

Max Chilton, Marussia F1 Team MR03

Zoran Stefanovich, who tried and failed to enter the sport with defunct Toyota's assets in 2010, is back on the cusp of formula one.

Although it is believed the Serbian has withdrawn his application to put together a brand new team for 2015, Italy's Omnicorse reports that Stefanovich has been in talks to take over the existing backmarker Marussia.

The report said the Stefanovich talks date back to last November, as the interest of current Marussia owner Nikolay Fomenko is waning under the stresses of the more expensive 2014 regulations.

Former Renault chief Flavio Briatore says the cost explosion in F1 is "madness".

"Given the current crisis, it is pointless to set a budget limit at $200 million," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport last week. "It only needs to be 100 million.

"It shouldn't be forgotten that 30 per cent of the teams are at risk of not even finishing the season," Briatore claimed.

Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced driver in F1 history who still attends the races for the Brazilian broadcaster Globo, was also linked with the latest Stefanovich rumours.

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