F1 Silly Season 2009!

[MPREZIV]

Ok, I simply didn't know how they were proposing this. I don't know that I nec. agree with it then. In my scenario, driver C would have had second in the Chapmionship, even if B's Non-First finishes were all third place, by the current 10-8-6 points schedule.

[Nick Koan]

Yeah, it rewards all out finishes over everything else.

A driver could come in 2nd place in every round, but if anyone else manages to pull off one win and 16 DNFs, they will finish higher in the championship.

[Tahoe C5]

(12-04) 16:56 PST TENERIFE, Canary Islands (AP) --

Honda will pull out of Formula One unless a new buyer can be found within three months, The Associated Press has learned.

The Japanese car manufacturer has the operating budget to keep the team running into early 2009, but escalating operational costs amid the worldwide financial crisis have the Brackley-based outfit in danger of shutting down if a new sponsor is not found quickly.

Takeo Fukui, CEO of Honda Motors, was due to hold a news conference regarding the F1 team in Tokyo on Friday afternoon. A person familiar with the decision told The AP that team bosses Ross Brawn and Nick Fry informed the near 700-member team late Thursday.

"Their intention is to pull out entirely — as an engine supplier and sponsor," the Honda team member said on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made yet. "It's a shock. I think this came as a total surprise to everyone. No one in the UK was aware of this decision before Thursday night."

Brawn and Fry had returned from a FOTA meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, where they informed the other F1 teams of the manufacturer's decision.

A pullout by one of the world's biggest car manufacturers will send shockwaves through F1, which could start the season with only 18 cars on the grid. Japanese team Super Aguri, which was backed by Honda, pulled out of F1 this year.

The season opens at the Australian Grand Prix on March 29.

Earlier Thursday, Honda announced it was cutting jobs in Britain and Japan because of plunging vehicle demand. It has already reduced its annual production of consumer cars by more than 140,000 worldwide.

The move leaves Jenson Button without a car seat for next season, while promising rookie Bruno Senna was trying out for the No. 2 seat at winter testing last month.

Honda, with an operational budget of around $294 million, finished ninth in the constructors' standings last season with Button 18th out of 20 drivers with three points. Rubens Barichello, who was dropped by the team going into 2009, was 14th with the remaining points.

Honda, which originally entered F1 as a constructor for a stint in the 1960s before returning as an engine supplier in the 1980s, bought out BAR Racing in 2005.

FIA president Max Mosley had described F1's combined $1.6 billion spending in 2008 as "unsustainable," saying the teams were relying too heavily on the goodwill of rich individuals and corporate sponsors. Mosley has vowed to push through cost-cutting measures by 2010 in a bid to make the sport more feasible.

The governing body has already reached a deal with F1 to cap the cost of engines supplied to smaller teams as part of a plan to save money during the global financial crisis.

Over recent months, the 10 teams have been meeting regularly with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to discuss reducing costs, including streamlining engines.

[Nick Koan]

What? "The Earth" isn't a good enough sponsor?

[skimonkey30]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

What? "The Earth" isn't a good enough sponsor?

I think Bernie will step in on this one he cant afford for major manufacturers to start bailing on F1

[zpeed]

Honda need a bail out.

[Nick Koan]

Officially announced.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/...e-honda-dream/

[skimonkey30]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

Officially announced.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/...e-honda-dream/

rubens will probably retire and I doubt anyone will want Button's services

[Nick Koan]

Looks like Honda is looking for buyers, and Button's contract is in the sale package.

I don't know how soon he can get out and start looking at different teams (unlikely at this point) so, that might be his best shot.

[skimonkey30]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

Looks like Honda is looking for buyers, and Button's contract is in the sale package.

I don't know how soon he can get out and start looking at different teams (unlikely at this point) so, that might be his best shot.

I just read that he is a "package deal"

I wonder how far a long they were with the 09 car

[MattR]

Oh well, two fewer "rolling chicanes" in 09. It sucks to lose teams though.

[Tahoe C5]

I wonder just how competitive Honda would have been if they had one of the top drivers on their team? Looking back at qualifying in 2008 they weren't able to break into the top ten on grid. Qualifying times separated by less than 1 second pretty consistently covered the top ten cars. Honda was typically in the 11th to 16th position sometimes less than .7 of a second off the pace. They were, however, able to keep their cars running to the end in more than half the races. Could have Hamilton, Raikkonen, Massa or Kovalainen closed up that gap and put Honda on a podium?

[Nick Koan]

David Richards is rumored to be looking at buying Honda F1

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headline...06151824.shtml

[Nick Koan]

And Cosworth will supply standard engines from 2010 and beyond.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/...ndard-engines/

Actually, teams don't have to use the engine, but their engines cannot exceed the output of the cosworth engine.

The teams are given three options as of 2010: buy the engine at Cosworth, build your own engine but with the technical specs supplied by Cosworth or the right to continue to use a team's existing engine, with the current ban on development and requirement for engine parity still in place (noting that the engine supplied will become the reference engine for output and other performance indicators and no engine will be permitted to exceed those indicators).

[skimonkey30]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

David Richards is rumored to be looking at buying Honda F1

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headline...06151824.shtml

that was my guess when they said "multiple suitors" in yesterdays article

[sperry]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

And Cosworth will supply standard engines from 2010 and beyond.

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/...ndard-engines/

Actually, teams don't have to use the engine, but their engines cannot exceed the output of the cosworth engine.

Aaaaand, F1 is dead.

[MattR]

Game Over man, Game over.

[sperry]

Even more F1 implosion:

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/...-ferrari-deal/

Everyone knew Ferrari got special treatment, but I never would have guessed they were literally getting paid to play. Nothing like an $80M bonus to the dominant team to make everyone else just walk away from the sport. Money like that in motorsports is the equivalent of giving the Yankees 4 outs every inning while all the rest of the teams get 3.

I wouldn't be surprised to see F1 dissolved before the 2010 season. What's the point for anyone to compete?

[Nick Koan]

Just saw that too,

I can't believe Ecclestone would shoot himself in the foot that badly.

[van]

Honda Sold

[sperry]

Originally Posted by van

Honda Sold

Man, I can't believe Prodrive didn't get it! Maybe Prodrive can pick up Toyota when they decide F1's not a profitable advertising means like Honda did.

In fact, maybe all the big names will return to being just engine suppliers and the field will be full of privateer chassis. Let's resurrect Arrows, Benetton, Minardi, Sauber (well, they're still around in name), Lotus, etc! And for god's sake, someone put Super Aguri back on the grid!

[MattR]

Tyrell and Footwork!

[van]

Or maybe not

[sperry]

JV in a SuperCar?

...it's more likely than you think!

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headline...08143339.shtml

[Nick Koan]

Scuderia Toro Rosso should just change their name to Scuderia Sebastian.

They've signed Sebastian Buemi for one of the seats in 09. Its still unannounced if Bourdais, or another person names Sebastian, will be his teammate this year.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72695