http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news ... ula-1.html
Racecar-engineering brings us this rumor which I must say has a lot of plausibility.
Dave Richards leading the Renault team did not - just for itself - make any sense. But with Bob Bell announced as interim team principal just for this year there was another solution looming in the back ground.
Richard's visit to Renault F1 at the time of their crisis suddenly makes a lot of sense. Renault isn't really profiting from F1 with their model policy. But Aston Martin would fit naturally with a racing image. Pro drive would probably still be taking over as a buffer brand until the transition is sufficiently successull.