Francis Batta has conceded he may be forced to release Leon Haslam from his Suzuki Alstare contract if he cannot give him the resources he needs to win the World Superbike title.
The Briton emerged as surprise title contender at the start of the season with wins at Phillip Island, Valencia and Kyalami, but his form, though consistent, has waned slightly in recent events.
Haslam himself has already urged Suzuki lend greater help to the Alstare set-up in an effort to challenge Aprilia, but team principal Batta admits he is still waiting on a decision from the Japanese company over its level of involvement for 2011.
"Even though I don't have any guarantees, I was happy that Suzuki showed some attachment to our team,” he told GPOne.com. “There are still some clear difficulties though. If we at Alstare continue to race, and that is our goal since the team was created to go racing, we will do it with Suzuki."
Despite this, Batta admits he does not want to retain lead rider Haslam if he cannot provide him with a package capable of winning the title.
"How could I hold on to Leon Haslam, and force him to stay, if I don't have a top team? That would go against my way of thinking and my way of racing."
Batta's comments come as Haslam is increasingly linked to a ride with BMW for 2011 alongside Troy Corser.
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