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Honda bailing out of f1
iank - 4/12/08 at 09:54 PM

Can't justify £200M a year to run the team.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7766092.stm

nitram38 - 4/12/08 at 10:10 PM

The way they are talking, Lewis might be the last F1 champion!
Times are hard and it is just the excuse some teams need to pack up.
Honda's less than impressive engine performance might also have something to do with it too.......
Very sad if F1 dies

designer - 4/12/08 at 11:40 PM

I was the most avid F1 fan, doing at least three Euro GP's per year.

Now I don't bother, and don't miss it at all. It's rubbish!! Cars on rails.

Would rather go to the local hillclimb.

colt_mivec - 4/12/08 at 11:55 PM

F1's become a joke!

If certain people dont win then they throw a paddy and make other teams lose points

Its beyond driver skill now

Alan B - 5/12/08 at 12:05 AM

Hopefully KERS will save F1...just what the little teams need....

<big eye roll>

iank - 5/12/08 at 07:39 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Alan B
Hopefully KERS will save F1...just what the little teams need....

<big eye roll>


KERS is a terrible idea for racing, the limited allowed boost duration and recharge time just means even more reliance on the strategists.

Now it's just another money albatross.

neilj37 - 5/12/08 at 07:54 AM

I have to say that i used to be an avid F1 fan but in the last couple of seasons it has become very boring and biased towards certain teams. This type of thing might do the sport some good.

Still prefer touring car

nitram38 - 5/12/08 at 08:36 AM

The biggest mistake they ever made was fuel and tyre stops.
One tank of fuel, race to the end, same tyres, now that is skillfull.

scootz - 5/12/08 at 08:38 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nitram38
The way they are talking, Lewis might be the last F1 champion!
Times are hard and it is just the excuse some teams need to pack up.
Honda's less than impressive engine performance might also have something to do with it too.......
Very sad if F1 dies


My thoughts too! Hopefully though, we'll see a return to the days of privateer teams with wacky designs!

02GF74 - 5/12/08 at 08:42 AM

bring back the days when you had to do a 100 m sprint to the car then push start it to get it going .......

Stantman - 5/12/08 at 09:04 AM

Working in the construction industry all I can say is no one is imune from redundancy, though I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

But 800 man team sems rediculous , perhaps the money invoved in F1 is a sign of how rediculous it has all become,

6 times salary mortgage, 2 flash cars on the drive, two holidays a year, and pay later attitude to credit cards,

No wonder we are in the sh@t. Why blame anyone but our selves, and all they can think off to do is to encourage spending !!!! THATS CAUSED THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE, HOW ABOUT PAYING OFF THE DEBTS WE OWE!!!!

smart51 - 5/12/08 at 09:11 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nitram38
The biggest mistake they ever made was fuel and tyre stops.


Agreed.

I bet honda will sell the F1 team for very little and will even pay the redundancies of the staff you don't want to keep. Ever fancied yourself as an F1 driver? Why not buy the team!

gingerprince - 5/12/08 at 09:21 AM

And the irony is that Honda did so poorly last year because they were concentrating all development on next seasons car!

mr henderson - 5/12/08 at 10:25 AM

The end is nigh!

Formula I as we now know it will shortly cease to exist. The whole thing has become a ridiculous waste of money on a gargantuan scale.

The sheer numbers of people, and amount of money involved in runnng a second rate team! What must the winners be spending

Some people are wondering if there will be a couple less cars on the grids next year. I'm wondering if there will be a race series at all

John

[Edited on 5/12/08 by mr henderson]

Rosco - 5/12/08 at 10:26 AM

Very sad for those at Honda, I guess Honda are not the only ones looking at it - but this is just what F1 needs. Apart from cost of running the teams, who can afford to go and watch it, or to sponsor it, in these credit-cruch days. F1 now has chance / need to get back to lower cost competitive racing.

I was a big fan until a few years ago but in the Schuey Ferrari years it became so boring and predictable that I stopped watching - also way too costly to see live.

My last concern about F1 is about how relevant it is in these days of climate change. But it is a great developmnet platform for new technology so how about changing the format - hydrid cars only, no fuel or tyre stops. Before you scoff - just think that the latest Lexus LS600 hydird has over 400bhp - in a road car. I'm still not sure that I'd watch it, but then I don't anway.

02GF74 - 5/12/08 at 10:54 AM

quote:
Originally posted by iank
Can't justify £200M a year to run the team.

and
quote:
Originally posted by Stantman
But 800 man team sems rediculous , perhaps the money invoved in F1 is a sign of how rediculous it has all become,



That is probably very cheap compared to what the top premier league clubs pay so that 11 so called "men" ponce around on some grass chasing a spherical leather thing for 90 minutes.

[Edited on 5/12/08 by 02GF74]

smart51 - 5/12/08 at 10:56 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Rosco
My last concern about F1 is about how relevant it is in these days of climate change.


An entire season of race weekends for all 20 cars uses less fuel than a 747 from London to New York. Add in testing and engine development and you get close to a return flight's consumption. Of course you have to add in shipping the cars and people to 20 races but you get the idea. Compared to the whole of aviation, never mind the whole of transport, F1 is a drop in the ocean.

02GF74 - 5/12/08 at 11:02 AM

^^^ wot the Smart brummie bloke says.

Back to the football comparisdon, what about the emissions by all the fans travelling up and down the country to follow their team every weekend? That has gotta be more than F1 and their fans surely?

Just becasue footballers don't use petrol when playing, it doesn't mean the sport is carbon emission free.

britishtrident - 5/12/08 at 12:28 PM

It was predicted some months back by the the guys in the Autosport Atlas BB --- don't expect Toyota to stay now Honda is gone, Renault might go depends very much on next season and how long Alonso stays --- he is probably going to Ferrari in 2010.
Because of the the airlines industry down turn Force India may also be in trouble in spite of the McLaren Mercedes deal. Rumours are around Williams may also disapear, then with BMW who knows if they will want to stay ? if BMW go Mercedes will re-evaluate and just might leave Mclaren to fly solo


Only teams with solid foundations at the moment are Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull.

[Edited on 5/12/08 by britishtrident]

iank - 5/12/08 at 01:12 PM

Max was on R4 this morning wittering about it and seemed to be suggesting the teams with big budgets wouldn't go looking for loopholes in the rules if engines and gearboxes were changed to cheaper ones and there were some chassis changes.

The logic wasn't compelling to say the least.

Surrey Dave - 5/12/08 at 01:31 PM

Honda Motor Company CEO Takeo Fukui apologised to Jenson Button after the Japanese manufacturer announced its withdrawal from Formula One.

"It's a real shame and I feel deeply sorry for Jenson Button," Fukui told a news conference.


Jenson probably said "Fukui tooey!"

[Edited on 5/12/08 by Surrey Dave]

omega0684 - 5/12/08 at 01:39 PM

where is Jenson going to end up next season is what im thinking?

RK - 5/12/08 at 03:07 PM

Well, I don't think you'll see him slumming at the locost races anytime soon. Boo hoo.

carlgeldard - 5/12/08 at 06:45 PM

Wait for it !!!!!!!!!

Honda is the only team to put there money where there mouth is. There not leaving due to the credit crunch
they're leaving as the manufactures didn't want the FIA to go ahead with the sole engine supplier.

What's just happened this week

Engine supply

I predict other teams will follow suit.