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[quote=Autosport]
Suzuki confirms new team
By Jonathan Noble November 1st 2005, 07:39 GMT
Former grand prix driver Aguri Suzuki has confirmed that he is behind plans for a second Honda team to be on the grid next season.
The Japanese driver made the announcement at a press conference at the Honda Welcome Plaza in Tokyo on Tuesday morning.
Suzuki revealed that the new outfit lodged their application to enter the 2006 Formula One World Championship on Monday, and the team now face a race against time to get on the grid for the start of the new season.
However, despite having submitted an entry, the team does not yet have a name.
Having lodged their application, should the team fail to make it onto the grid next year then they will lose $12 million of the $48 million they have had to lodge with the FIA.
More to follow.[/quote]
Looks like they have comitted to being on the grid next year - God knows how they are going to manage that!
Suzuki confirms new team
By Jonathan Noble November 1st 2005, 07:39 GMT
Former grand prix driver Aguri Suzuki has confirmed that he is behind plans for a second Honda team to be on the grid next season.
The Japanese driver made the announcement at a press conference at the Honda Welcome Plaza in Tokyo on Tuesday morning.
Suzuki revealed that the new outfit lodged their application to enter the 2006 Formula One World Championship on Monday, and the team now face a race against time to get on the grid for the start of the new season.
However, despite having submitted an entry, the team does not yet have a name.
Having lodged their application, should the team fail to make it onto the grid next year then they will lose $12 million of the $48 million they have had to lodge with the FIA.
More to follow.[/quote]
Looks like they have comitted to being on the grid next year - God knows how they are going to manage that!
They won't - unless they buy Stoddie's old Arrows I guess. Actually, they could buy the Minardis....or how about that Jag R1 that someone's touting in Autosport this year?....or a Jordan EJ14 - I'm sure Bob Salisbury could supply them with plenty of parts to run one!
As I understand it, it's not just the IPR that the team needs to own, but also it has to prove that it is "manufacturing" the car or employing a 3rd party (not a current F1 team)to unertake this. It's a well known fact that F1 teams utilise a wide variety of sub contractors to manufacture the parts for their cars - is it therefore not inconceivable that Suzuki could use BAR's connections to "build" them a car in this way - at least for 2006? I know that most (all?) teams buld their tubs in-house, although ISTR that Lear had some input into JagRac's car...
As I understand it, it's not just the IPR that the team needs to own, but also it has to prove that it is "manufacturing" the car or employing a 3rd party (not a current F1 team)to unertake this. It's a well known fact that F1 teams utilise a wide variety of sub contractors to manufacture the parts for their cars - is it therefore not inconceivable that Suzuki could use BAR's connections to "build" them a car in this way - at least for 2006? I know that most (all?) teams buld their tubs in-house, although ISTR that Lear had some input into JagRac's car...
With the greatest of respect - I really will believe this when I see it. Granted, he has Honda motors, the old Arrows factory and about 100 staff (how many of those with F1 experience ?) and he has...er.. 131 days.
He won't even know until December if the FIA will grant him an entry. All this hasn't stopped the F1 media circus going into overdrive with headlines appearing hourly, such as ‘Suzuki tight-lipped about F1 sponsors’ (real world translation: ‘we haven’t got any’) or, ‘Drivers not a priority, says Suzuki’ (meaning, any pay driver and/or Takuma Sato will do..) and ‘Suzuki pleads for Honda, BAR help’ (Oh my God –what do I do now ?).
I'll be as happy as anybody to see two more cars on the grid but I can't see this outfit doing it. In fact if they do, I'll pose naked on my site as an act of penitence for being so doubtful !
Rob
He won't even know until December if the FIA will grant him an entry. All this hasn't stopped the F1 media circus going into overdrive with headlines appearing hourly, such as ‘Suzuki tight-lipped about F1 sponsors’ (real world translation: ‘we haven’t got any’) or, ‘Drivers not a priority, says Suzuki’ (meaning, any pay driver and/or Takuma Sato will do..) and ‘Suzuki pleads for Honda, BAR help’ (Oh my God –what do I do now ?).
I'll be as happy as anybody to see two more cars on the grid but I can't see this outfit doing it. In fact if they do, I'll pose naked on my site as an act of penitence for being so doubtful !
Rob
Has no one actually stepped back and thought that, seeing as how it is going to be a second honda team, that maybe the supply of chassis will be really easy to get... BAR 05 chassis, or even two more of whatever Honda come up with for 06 come to that...
Come on folks, if Honda are this serious do you really think getting the personnel and infrastructure in place is going to be a problem???
I'm looking forward to seeing teams having more than two cars on the grid, I can't see where the rule for them only having two entries lies anymore.
Three McLarens and Four BARS, three or four Ferrari's, you could see some titanic scraps over the course of a season. One driver could be a rookie (stipulated in the rules maybe?) so that they always help bring on new drivers....
Sorry, I'll step away from the medication now.
Come on folks, if Honda are this serious do you really think getting the personnel and infrastructure in place is going to be a problem???
I'm looking forward to seeing teams having more than two cars on the grid, I can't see where the rule for them only having two entries lies anymore.
Three McLarens and Four BARS, three or four Ferrari's, you could see some titanic scraps over the course of a season. One driver could be a rookie (stipulated in the rules maybe?) so that they always help bring on new drivers....
Sorry, I'll step away from the medication now.
I'm sure that they could very easily get hold of a couple of 06 Honda chassis as you say. Unfortunately they wouldn't be able to race them in F1. The rules are very clear on this, and recent clarifications regarding bending them have come up with a no no.
Thou shalt design and build your own car. The end.
They aparently have Dome lined up to do the build. They could line up some IP on aero tweaks from Honda, but they still have to pen the car themselves. Tricky one.
As for the scenario that you mention - for 2008 that is the plan - but until then rules is rules!
Thou shalt design and build your own car. The end.
They aparently have Dome lined up to do the build. They could line up some IP on aero tweaks from Honda, but they still have to pen the car themselves. Tricky one.
As for the scenario that you mention - for 2008 that is the plan - but until then rules is rules!
daydreamer said:Unless the FIA thinks otherwise and he decrees that whatever he prefers is in the best interests of the sport.
As for the scenario that you mention - for 2008 that is the plan - but until then rules is rules!
If I may slightly change your words: Until then and after, his rules is rules!
I've been wondering about why Suzuki has sunk this money into the bond in full knowledge that he is unlkely to bag a place the 2006 grid. Are his actions to in some way appease the Japanese fans of Sato?..if so, have Honda subsidised his entry? Or does he see the securing of an entry as an asset? Both arguments hold water. Let's assume that the 2008 regulations open up the field to numerous entries (there is talk of the bond being reduced or removed). The FIA has to control the quality of the field - does it do this by imposing pre-qualifying or by limiting the entries full-stop.
We all know how bad pre-qualifying was and how unscrupulous team owners could fleece drivers and sponsors, so I'm betting that the FIA goes for a limitaiton on numbers,with some kind of quality test too - perhaps the team has to develop a car that is within 2 seconds of the pace of the slowest car from 2007 for instance.
If the FIA limits numbers, Suzuki's jump now could be a good investment. After all, Direxiv look very serious about entering F1 next year and that's then up to the 24 cars that BCE has certainly said is a good number...and if a Chinese funded entry came along, do you think it might receive priority treatment?....
But the fact is, there is no way they could run any of the cars that have appeared on recent F1 grids, without contravening the regulations, although I did hear a whisper about a large, bolshy Scottish chap named Tom, doing cash deals on old F1 cars from used car lot in Leafield....
We all know how bad pre-qualifying was and how unscrupulous team owners could fleece drivers and sponsors, so I'm betting that the FIA goes for a limitaiton on numbers,with some kind of quality test too - perhaps the team has to develop a car that is within 2 seconds of the pace of the slowest car from 2007 for instance.
If the FIA limits numbers, Suzuki's jump now could be a good investment. After all, Direxiv look very serious about entering F1 next year and that's then up to the 24 cars that BCE has certainly said is a good number...and if a Chinese funded entry came along, do you think it might receive priority treatment?....
But the fact is, there is no way they could run any of the cars that have appeared on recent F1 grids, without contravening the regulations, although I did hear a whisper about a large, bolshy Scottish chap named Tom, doing cash deals on old F1 cars from used car lot in Leafield....
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