Fiorio introduced sponsors to Prost

— -- PARIS -- The Prost Formula One team may have been thrown a lifeline by former Ferrari sporting director Cesare Fiorio, the French magazine Auto Hebdo reported. The magazine said it believed Fiorio, who was also Ligier team manager when Alain Prost took over the French team and renamed it, had introduced a group of potential sponsors to the four-time world champion. "I did it to help Alain out," Fiorio, who ran Ferrari from 1989 to '91, was quoted as saying. Prost, ninth overall last season with four points, went into receivership in November with debts of around $28 million. A Prost spokeswoman said the team was aware of the speculation, but reiterated that the official receiver was assessing all offers and was not expected to make a decision before Friday. Auto Hebdo said that, apart from a last minute mishap, the Ferrari-powered Prost cars were expected to be at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 3. Prost was due to meet a court-appointed judge later Wednesday after the expiry at midnight on Tuesday of a deadline for takeover offers to be deposited.