so, with a few days left, whats going to happen to honda f1?

[castrolcraig]

as title says really......

[DrTre]

I'd love to be proven wrong, genuinely nothing will make me happier than if I am (in F1), but I've not changed my mind on what I wrote here when it was first announced.

Sayonara Honda.



ETA I'm actually kind of surprised there isn't a "year notice" period on chucking it all in, with the exception of bankruptcy..but that's by the by

Edited by DrTre on Monday 26th January 20:45

[german tony]

If they can't find a buyer wouldn't it be cheaper to keep it going than to shut it down?

[Hut49]

german tony said:

If they can't find a buyer wouldn't it be cheaper to keep it going than to shut it down?

Do you happen to work for the Financial Services Authority by any chance?

[simonrockman]

They've been shutting it down since before Christmas. They know there are no buyers out there.

Shame. T'was my favourite team.

[MHM]

Being the race nut amongst my mates, my predection way back when it all started, (trying to look like a smart arse) was a Brawn/Schumacher/Volkswagen superteam!
I really hope they were too pixxed to remember.

[german tony]

Hut49 said:

german tony said:

If they can't find a buyer wouldn't it be cheaper to keep it going than to shut it down?

Do you happen to work for the Financial Services Authority by any chance?

Er, no. Should I apply for a job there do you think?

[thestig84]

I had to skip as I couldnt bring myself to vote for it folding :-(

I really really really hope im wrong!

[Teppic]

simonrockman said:

They've been shutting it down since before Christmas. They know there are no buyers out there.

Shame. T'was my favourite team.

My opinion is that all this talk of preperation for 2009 was a red herring, and it was actually a winding up operation. I think the stories about Fry leading a management buy out were designed to put potential buyers off the scent so that the team could be closed.

I really really hope that I'm wrong though.

[lewis1]

i hope it stays open. mainly for the jobs of alot of friends. but sadly i cant see what benifit it would have buying the team with the current economic situation etc.

[anonymous-user]

I can see it being fry'd and the team dropping to Williams personnel numbers and finance levels for year one. Year two will be a fry sell out and cash in exercise.

[aeropilot]

MHM said:

my predection way back when it all started, (trying to look like a smart arse) was a Brawn/Schumacher/Volkswagen superteam!

I saw fancyful speculation in the press somewhere (I can't rememeber which mag/website thou) a week or so ago about that exact idea.

[garycat]

aeropilot said:

MHM said:

my predection way back when it all started, (trying to look like a smart arse) was a Brawn/Schumacher/Volkswagen superteam!

I saw fancyful speculation in the press somewhere (I can't rememeber which mag/website thou) a week or so ago about that exact idea.

VAG don't have an F1 engine. I though that Mercedes had offered engines to whoever bought the team.

[williamp]

I udnerstood that VAG cjose the le mans route instead, with Audi and bentley. Apparently they spent a simmilar amount of the R8, R10 etc but got fa rmore publicity from it then f1. Afterall, only Audi and their rebodied Audi's ahve wone le mans this century. Better then a lower-middle F1 team.

[DSM2]

The whole situation looks grim for F1. Honda likely to go, Williams teetering on the edge, ING about to pull the plug on Renault, Toyota out if they don't win.

The 6 teams, 3 cars looks the BEST possibility for 2010 at the moment.

[10 Pence Short]

ING have announced they're scaling back their F1 investmentm rather than pulling out altogether.

Considering they sponsored a number of GPs last season and have committed for several this coming one, it's more likely you'll see them pull out of sponsoring GPs for the 2010 season rather than ditching Renault/F1 altogether.

[DSM2]

10 Pence Short said:

ING have announced they're scaling back their F1 investmentm rather than pulling out altogether.

Considering they sponsored a number of GPs last season and have committed for several this coming one, it's more likely you'll see them pull out of sponsoring GPs for the 2010 season rather than ditching Renault/F1 altogether.

With a reassessment and decision for the future to be made mid year on the basis of the economic situation at that time, and after cutting 7000 jobs and seeking government assistance, F1 sponsorship wouldn't look that strong a possibility to me.

We'll see.

[Mr MoJo]

Unfortunately, I think the 64% majority may be right

[aeropilot]

garycat said:

aeropilot said:

MHM said:

my predection way back when it all started, (trying to look like a smart arse) was a Brawn/Schumacher/Volkswagen superteam!

I saw fancyful speculation in the press somewhere (I can't rememeber which mag/website thou) a week or so ago about that exact idea.

VAG don't have an F1 engine. I though that Mercedes had offered engines to whoever bought the team.

Indeed, but the rumoured suggestion was that a Brawn/Schuey run team would be the catalyst, along with the new engine regs, for VAG to design one for 2011 or more likely 2012, with VW branding.
I'd be surprised though if it did happen.

[FourWheelDrift]

10 Pence Short said:

ING have announced they're scaling back their F1 investmentm rather than pulling out altogether.

Considering they sponsored a number of GPs last season and have committed for several this coming one, it's more likely you'll see them pull out of sponsoring GPs for the 2010 season rather than ditching Renault/F1 altogether.

Looks to be even more ING Orange on the cars this year so perhaps they committed to more car space last year and now with losses need to cut back as you say on the race sponsorship to bring spending back down.