RE: Honda announces new F1 base in UK
Wednesday 27th March
Honda announces new F1 base in UK
Feel like you'd be good at stripping down a Formula 1 powertrain? Right this way...
Are you an engineer or technician working in F1? Are you still at your desk ahead of Easter weekend and feeling mildly disgruntled about it? Well, good news: Honda is so serious about its (sort of) return to the world’s flagship motorsport that it creating an entirely new subsidiary called Honda Racing Corporation UK Ltd. And from springtime this year, it’ll be looking for qualified people to work there.
Where will they be based, you cry. Well, Honda doesn’t make that clear in its slender release on the subject, but on the basis that it is establishing the new facility chiefly to support its partnership with Aston Martin F1, you’d imagine that it wouldn’t want to be too far away from Silverstone. But we could be wrong. Its secondary job is to operate as a logistics operation for the entire European region. So you’d imagine exemplary transport links would be high on the list, too.
Why now? Well, that’s a good question. Honda might have been in F1 for 60 years (yep, really) but its involvement has occasionally resembled a nervous rabbit at the edge of its burrow. So while it’s been doing a bang-up job providing ‘technical support’ to Red Bull, it was at one point going to be leaving the sport entirely. Then, for various complicated reasons involving rule changes and market conditions and politics and popularity, it decided that was a silly idea.
Consequently, the complicated business of prepping and maintaining ‘Honda-built F1 power units (PUs)’ is set to become a lot more involved as the manufacturer jumps back into business with both feet. The powertrain deal it signed with Aston Martin last year is due to take effect in The-Times-They-Are-a-Changin 2026 season - so there’s plenty to do before then. Including finding the right people to do all the prepping and maintaining. And finding the right people to support them while they do it. Which is potentially great news for the lucky few reading this, not to mention UK plc generally. More when we have it.
Discussion
Give it 5 years:
In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
NGK210 said:
Give it 5 years:
In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
You forgot the part about using absolutely none of marketing capital from this venture to sell a single additional vehicle. I hate being a cynic, I really do and employing more skilled individuals can only be a good thing for which they should be applauded. In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
…I’m also looking forward to seeing that H2 hovercraft engine.
Probably some 20 years ago, they had an F1 engine facility on a small industrial estate in Bracknell, a totally anonymous building with strict security.
I got to carry out surveys of the property a few times but was never allowed to take a camera in and was always accompanied.
First time I was there a few Japanese technicians went mental when they saw me in there, they were testing an engine to destruction !
I got to carry out surveys of the property a few times but was never allowed to take a camera in and was always accompanied.
First time I was there a few Japanese technicians went mental when they saw me in there, they were testing an engine to destruction !
NGK210 said:
Give it 5 years:
In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
The new 2026 engine will be built by the same people building the current one. It's no different to Ferrari and Mercedes in terms of the next generation. It's the Red Bull/Ford and Audi that is most likely to hit issues as they are starting from scratch.In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
Mutley78 said:
…
…I’m also looking forward to seeing that H2 hovercraft engine.
Alas, despite costing billions of yen to develop, it will only be on sale at three Honda Marine dealerships worldwide, two of which will be in the USA - Florida Everglades, and Atchafalaya Basin – although the third will be located in the UK, the Norfolk Broads.…I’m also looking forward to seeing that H2 hovercraft engine.
540TORQUES said:
NGK210 said:
Give it 5 years:
In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
The new 2026 engine will be built by the same people building the current one. It's no different to Ferrari and Mercedes in terms of the next generation. It's the Red Bull/Ford and Audi that is most likely to hit issues as they are starting from scratch.In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
Mutley78 said:
You forgot the part about using absolutely none of marketing capital from this venture to sell a single additional vehicle. I hate being a cynic, I really do and employing more skilled individuals can only be a good thing for which they should be applauded.
…I’m also looking forward to seeing that H2 hovercraft engine.
No way. Yesterday's Senna fans are todays Honda Jazz drivers. And my generation (the "My ear the dream" Jensen Button F1 era) are almost ready for a Honda Jazz. Very reliable. And comfy don'cha know...…I’m also looking forward to seeing that H2 hovercraft engine.
I'm being a cynic too. Imagine he third gen NSX. The one where Lance himself had a hand in refining the driving experience. In his loafers, remember...
Busa mav said:
Probably some 20 years ago, they had an F1 engine facility on a small industrial estate in Bracknell, a totally anonymous building with strict security.
I got to carry out surveys of the property a few times but was never allowed to take a camera in and was always accompanied.
First time I was there a few Japanese technicians went mental when they saw me in there, they were testing an engine to destruction !
Bracknell is still a place where people on industrial estates go mental and destroy engines. I got to carry out surveys of the property a few times but was never allowed to take a camera in and was always accompanied.
First time I was there a few Japanese technicians went mental when they saw me in there, they were testing an engine to destruction !
https://www.bracknellnews.co.uk/news/24221303.poli...
At least we now know the quality heritage to the activity.
williamp said:
Mutley78 said:
You forgot the part about using absolutely none of marketing capital from this venture to sell a single additional vehicle. I hate being a cynic, I really do and employing more skilled individuals can only be a good thing for which they should be applauded.
…I’m also looking forward to seeing that H2 hovercraft engine.
No way. Yesterday's Senna fans are todays Honda Jazz drivers. And my generation (the "My ear the dream" Jensen Button F1 era) are almost ready for a Honda Jazz. Very reliable. And comfy don'cha know...…I’m also looking forward to seeing that H2 hovercraft engine.
I'm being a cynic too. Imagine he third gen NSX. The one where Lance himself had a hand in refining the driving experience. In his loafers, remember...
I'm bitterly disappointed...
NGK210 said:
540TORQUES said:
NGK210 said:
Give it 5 years:
In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
The new 2026 engine will be built by the same people building the current one. It's no different to Ferrari and Mercedes in terms of the next generation. It's the Red Bull/Ford and Audi that is most likely to hit issues as they are starting from scratch.In year-1 and -2 the engine will be the most unreliable on the grid, and at least 150bhp down on all rivals.
Year-3: it will be the most powerful but still unreliable, although Aston will take 12 quali P1s and win 5 GPs, the remainder will be DNFs.
Year-4: even more power - 80bhp more than closest rival - and 100% reliability. An Aston driver wins championship and team nabs constructor's.
Year-5: on Jan 1, Honda announces withdrawal from F1, citing an unstable global economy and a need to refocus budgets to develop H2-powered hovercraft. F1 engine now has 105bhp more than nearest rival, and is so reliable Aston need only use 2 engines throughout season en route to another championship double.
Honda sells factory, its IP and assets for €3 to Lance Stroll, who's retired from racing and is now the CEO of Racing Point Powertrains Inc, although the deal is dependent on Aston hiring Takuma Sato and Yuki Tsunoda as sole drivers.
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