Oct.15 (GMM) Flavio Briatore has dismissed rumours linking Renault with Prodrive's beleaguered formula one entry for 2008.

With David Richards' earlier plans to use a customer McLaren-Mercedes package next year now on the ropes, new speculation had arisen that the French outfit - which already supplies engines to Red Bull Racing - might step into the breach.

But team boss Briatore said on Monday: "I don't know where this has come from.

"We have had zero contact with Prodrive, and we are not in a position to supply another team at this point."

Briatore's comments coincided with another setback for Prodrive, with reports that the Court of Appeal hearing about the legality of the team for 2008 - originally scheduled for October 24 - has been postponed.

It is also believed that Grove based Williams, whose letter to the FIA sparked the Court of Appeal date, is determined to take the matter even further, through the civil system.

"Obviously if a team comes into formula one without any investment in the staffing and equipment that we've built up over the last 25 years and gains access to a (customer) car, then it's a serious commercial threat to us," team co-owner Patrick Head said at the Chinese grand prix.