Brawn and Virgin may split

The Virgin logos may soon disappear from the livery of the championship leading Brawn team.

According to The Times newspaper, the glitch in the tie-up with high profile billionaire Sir Richard Branson's brand is the immense success of the Brackley outfit in 2009, and Branson's persisting desire for a low-price deal.

The initial deal, clinched on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix, was for just $250,000 per race, but after four out of a possible five wins, the cost - overseen by Brawn's CEO Nick Fry - has logically skyrocketed.

Branson arrived in Monaco on Thursday, but it is rumoured that he will be a guest of the Red Bull team this weekend.

He then dined on Vijay Mallya's superyacht in the evening, and The Times believes Ferrari and McLaren are also interested in negotiating with the 58-year-old.

Fry, however, who met with Branson on Friday morning, is unlikely to be overly worried, given that swathes of companies are believed to have registered their interest in backing Brawn GP.