Prodrive aim to confirm plans in July

Richards has made no secret of the fact that he intends to run a customer chassis and engine next year in Prodrive's first season of Grand Prix racing.

Negotiations for a deal are believed to have been focused on Ferrari, Renault and McLaren - with the latter currently understood to be favourites to finalise a contract.

Speaking about the latest situation with the talks on Friday, Richards said: "Well, we are well down the line with most of it. I must admit that my eye has been off the ball on the Aston Martin project over the last three months.

"So consequently that is why you have not heard so much about it, or it has not been so obvious. But we are perfectly on target."

When asked by autosport.com whether there were still three clear car options for 2008, Richards said: "There are options, but we are pretty well agreed what it is going to be."

Richards would not confirm any of the speculation linking him with McLaren, but said more details would hopefully be forthcoming by the Silverstone race in July.

"I am obviously not going to say anything, but I hope to be in a position by the summer, probably at the British Grand Prix, to make a full announcement. That will include sponsors, and even drivers, by then."

Should a McLaren deal for car and engines come off, then there have been suggestions that Prodrive would take the team's test drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Gary Paffett for 2008.

Richards admitted that having such a mixture of youth and experience would likely be what his team opt for.

"If you look at everything we have done in the past, what you have got to look at is how we have behaved in previous sports and what we tend to do.

"And we tend to choose a more established driver and also a young up-and-coming hotshot. And we will work with that formula."