Grapevine: Midland set for more changes

Sporting director Adrian Burgess quit the outfit last week and sources have revealed that further staff departures could be on the cards.

Kolles is a close ally of team owner Alex Shnaider but, with suggestions that talks are underway to sell the team, the Romanian dentist's future at the outfit may not be secure.

A Midland spokesman has denied, however, that Kolles' future with the team is in doubt.

"He is such an integral part of the team we would not even know how to begin replacing him," said the spokesman.

The moves to sell the team have come despite continued denials from Shnaider that he wants to offload the outfit. However, the team are lacking in funds and Shnaider has appeared reluctant to put in the kind of money needed to make it successful.

There are reports that discussions with Russian banking and vodka magnate Roustam Tariko to buy the outfit off Shnaider are now back on, having fallen through at last year's Monaco Grand Prix when Tariko was involved with former Formula One driver Eddie Irvine.

Shnaider said last year that he was always open to offers to sell the team.

"If someone comes along with a suitcase offering us more than we paid for the asset then of course it can be for sale," he said. "A sale would be possible to the right buyer."