Honda to quit F1? - Now with added Brawn GP

[boiltheocean]

TBH Honda got on my nerves over the last few years. I got the impression they cared more about how they looked than how good they were. but thats just how I feel.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Well, they're going on sale ... for one dollar:

F1 Team for Sale for $1

Dec.6 (GMM) David Richards is believed to be perhaps the most serious of the prospective buyers of Honda's formula one team.

As alluded to by Honda figures as well as F1 powerbrokers Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, there is already interest in the Brackley based team, which on Friday was put on the market by the struggling Japanese carmaker Honda.

To boost the chances of a sale, embarrassed Honda has offered to bear the team's outstanding debts, and offer for sale the excellent facilities of the Brackley based squad for a nominal fee as low as $1.

The successful buyer would have to convince Honda that it could safeguard the future of the team, even if many of the 700 employees would be retrenched as the annual budget is slashed from its current $300 million to as little as $70m.

The British newspaper The Daily Telegraph said the most serious buyer, believed to be the Prodrive chief David Richards, could be in a position to seal the deal by the end of this weekend.

56-year-old Richards is no stranger to the team, having been brought in to run its previous BAR incarnation in 2001.

Prodrive was slated to join the F1 grid in 2008, but Richards pulled out because his plans involved running a controversial McLaren-Mercedes customer package.

If anyone wants to go halves, I'll pitch in.

 

[nissan tuner]

If David Richards buy's it, Button would stay for sure.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Who would they replace him with if he left? If a Richards/Prodrive outfit bought the team, it would be incredibly unwise to line up two rookies. They'd need someone with experience, and while Barichello has more of it, I believe he's also looking at other options like Toro Rosso.

 

[Ardius]

I had wondered if Richards/Prodrive would go for it, would they name the team Prodrive or would they bring back Aston Martin to F1?

 

[Sureboss]

Umm, where do Aston Martin fit into it? Didn't know they were ever in F1, either.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Umm, where do Aston Martin fit into it? Didn't know they were ever in F1, either.

David Richards is the owner of Aston Martin. I think it was said, when Prodrive first planned on entering F1, that they wouldn't use the Aston Martin name. Also Aston Martin were in F1 from 1959-60.

 

[Only_in_f1]

Red Bull have pulled the plug on their F1 Magazine and their grid girl thing and apparently have only bought back Torro Rosso so they can sell both teams in 1 go. That my latest rumour. Might not be true but hell ill post it here anyway.

 

[Metar]

I wouldn't trust that one. Didi is in it for the fun, and he's not losing any money lately with Red Bull (the company). Downsizing and losing STR is one thing - but closing both at once?

 

[nissman]

Bad news for F1 that Honda is leaving,my only hope is that Nissan buy's it and gets back some respect for japanese F1 teams.

 

[Metar]

Nissan? Why would they buy it if partner Renault is in it, and winning (occasionally)?

 

[Appie]

I did read that Honda will be coming back one day....

 

[nissman]

I know they are partners but it would be good for Nissan to put their name on the grid sometime soon.

 

[Ardius]

Bad news for F1 that Honda is leaving,my only hope is that Nissan buy's it and gets back some respect for japanese F1 teams.

Respect? I think Toyota and Honda (engine supplier only though) have done a fine job of representing Japan. In fact, I reckon Toyota are on their way up, especially with their current driver line up.
I hope Prodrive gets it, for one because the team is mostly British already (which was one of the factors why Honda messed the team up).

I know they are partners but it would be good for Nissan to put their name on the grid sometime soon.

Perhaps, but they have no heritage in the sport so I doubt they feel compelled to put the enormous amounts of money into it, they should focus on Le Mans if anything, imo. Its just as worth it to them as it is to Subaru, Mistsubishi and Suzuki - not worth it at all.
Besides, competing with your partner is not the best idea.

 

[Only_in_f1]

I wouldn't trust that one. Didi is in it for the fun, and he's not losing any money lately with Red Bull (the company). Downsizing and losing STR is one thing - but closing both at once?

Its not the most reliable source lets be honest. I do believe they have pulled the funding from that magazine and grid girl project though. I mean why at times like this would they buy back a team?

 

[Metar]

They pulled the plug on the Red Bulletin, that's true - though I don't know about the Formula Unas.

 

[Ardius]

Its not the most reliable source lets be honest. I do believe they have pulled the funding from that magazine and grid girl project though. I mean why at times like this would they buy back a team?

Especially when they are expected to sell the team at the end of '09, it would have made perhaps more sense to keep Berger involved so he could handle the hand-over to the next owners.
Or maybe it was Berger that wanted out rather than RB wanting in.

 

[nissman]

Toyota is doing a fine job at the moment but they are still without a win.I know Nissan doesn't have much experiance in F1 but they are used to wining when they come to race(SuperGT,Le mans)so I think in a few season they would be close to the top.
We all know that in the best seasons of Renault,Nissan was developing their suspension wich in fact was one of the main thing's that was wining races for Renault.

 

[Ardius]

Toyota is doing a fine job at the moment but they are still without a win.I know Nissan doesn't have much experiance in F1 but they are used to wining when they come to race(SuperGT,Le mans)so I think in a few season they would be close to the top.
We all know that in the best seasons of Renault,Nissan was developing their suspension wich in fact was one of the main thing's that was wining races for Renault.

So why fix what isn't broken? The Renault + Nissan partnership is doing fine. Unless a Nissan team involved re-naming the Renault team, I doubt they would be "close to the top" in a few seasons. Who would be the engine supplier? Nissan? Again, little experience.
Usually new teams seem to be pretty good at finding experienced F1 personnel to start the team up on, so that wouldn't be too much of a problem unless they do what Honda did.
But yeah, very doubtful, its like why Audi have never joined, they are doing just fine in other race series, they don't need F1 at all.

 

[Metar]

Wait, what?

Nissan never had anything to do with the F1 cars - in fact, Renault's road-car division themselves have little to do with the Enstone factory, and even their engine-department was independent. Renault's 2005 package was simply more reliable and almost-as-fast as the McLarens - and yes, the suspension-design was designed to perfectly match the Michelin rubber, but what did Nissan have to do with it?

"Used to winning"? Being used to things doesn't help you one bit in F1 - you could argue that Honda and Toyota are "used to winning", as in "were successful in the past" (SuperGT, Rally, Touring) as well, and they've failed quite hard at it. Changing the Renault name to Nissan won't help them, and neither will taking up another squad - what wins races in F1 is a reliable, consistent package, huge amounts of aerodynamic, engine and monocoque-design knowledge (which Nissan lacks, for that matter), and the right driver at the right time. Even BMW's excellent 2008 package might not have won a race if it wasn't for the Pitlane Fiasco, and Renault's superior end-2008 package won twice because of that "right place at the right time", as did Toro Rosso.

Nissan doesn't have any experience, don't have a factory, tunnel, race-crews, and entry by the FIA. They could buy Honda - but what good would that be when Renault are doing well?

 

[nissman]

I get what you're saying,i'm a big fan of Nissan and maybe thats why I would like to see thier name on the F1 grid.
But i dont want to watch them in last place like Honda for the last two seasons, so its probably better that they stay in the shadow of Renault and try to get some more championships.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

its like why Audi have never joined, they are doing just fine in other race series, they don't need F1 at all.

No Audi did try but it was Prodrive who won the deal,if they didnt then they would be in it.

 

[Metar]

Stay in what shadow? What championships? They've got nothing to do with Renault's F1 operations. Closest you have to Nissan development there is the Renault Modus that engineers drive home.

 

[nissman]

Nissan doesn't have any experience, don't have a factory, tunnel, race-crews, and entry by the FIA. They could buy Honda - but what good would that be when Renault are doing well?[/QUOTE]

LOL....Nissan is one of the biggest motorsports company's in the world.
They have all the records in SuperGT(R32 Skyline) wich will probaly never be broken,the R35 GTR has the record for production cars on the norscheleife.
I know we are talking about F1 but you're talking about Nissan like it's never been on a race track.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

the R35 GTR has the record for production cars on the norscheleife.

you might wanna go look that up cause you will find it doesnt.

 

[nissman]

Hey man, if you don't know the partnership of Nissan and Renault in F1 then you don't know much about F1.
You know what we can meet in GT5prologue,i'll take a Nissan you take what ever you want and we can see what is fast.

you might wanna go look that up cause you will find it doesnt.

Did somebody brake the record?
Didn't hear nothing about it.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Did somebody brake the record?
Didn't hear nothing about it.

There was no record to brake unless Nissan set it back in 2005,Also the ACR viper and Corvette ZR1 is faster aswell as the MC12.

 

[Danny]

The current record holder is the ACR Viper.

 

[nissman]

There must be at least 10.000 cars made to be called a production car.
I think that none of the cars you named will be made in that number.
So if i'm not mistaking 7.19.xxx made by the GTR is still the record.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

There must be at least 10.000 cars made to be called a production car.
I think that none of the cars you named will be made in that number.
So if i'm not mistaking 7.19.xxx made by the GTR is still the record.

Nissan has never did a 7:19! the Radical SR8 is the fastest at 6:55 they drove it to the nurburgring and back and it was on road legal tyres and there is more road legal SR8's than there have been Zonda F's and MC12's built together.