Honda might be running on unstable ground....

Here:

[www.grandprix.com]

[www.grandprix.com]

Not a good sign, even if it's not entirely true.

I have my doubts about the second report, judging from what I've seen in the past, F1 teams rarely sell in a hurry, there's normally at least a couple of months of negotiation, so for Honda to be looking to sell it's operation in just 3 weeks is a bit quick.

yeah, the second report does sound a bit dodgy, but it does give a hint that things are going very well.

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL

Sorry

[www.pitpass.com]

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No more Senna, I hope someone's checked on Bruninho.

Blimey, that was very sudden. Considering how much they'd been spending, I thought that this wouldn't happen for a long time.

Quite sad really, but let's hope that the buyer (if there is one!) will bring an interesting new team to the grid.

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You know you want to. [judgegrudge.mybrute.com]

woah, that was a shocker!

i actually believe this could very well happen :| time will tell in a few hours... i wonder who comes to the rescue? if if is ferrari, it would't surprise me if 'honda' then became the ferrari b-team, and shared the know-how of KERS honda has been working on, given that maranello is supposedly behind on development.

i do think f1 is going down the pan pretty quickly. this could only be the tip of the iceberg!

ediT: autocar reports that bernie might be brokering a deal to keep them, and that there was indeed an emergency meeting for honda staff at 6pm tonight.


Jenson drives it like he owns it; Lewis drives it like he stole it



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2008 09:24PM by danm.

Sheesh, they looked good to have their best season next year as well with KERS...
If Honda go, then Toyota must be seriously thinking about it, and it will be the biggest chance they have to quit with their main rivals leaving.
Maybe in the long term this will be good for the sport??
We might be heading for a few more privateer teams and sustainable costs?

If Honda leave then we also have the chance of Fuji being the permanent Japanese GP i guess.

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now where to go Ross Brawn

Its on the bbc as well, they will close end of march if there is no buyer. So how much work will they put into next years car?

Prodrive maybe could buy them?

Bit of a shock but someone did say a team would quit soon.

I think Button would get a drive somewhere such as STR or maybe end Force India but both their drivers are saying they are 100%.

[news.bbc.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2008 10:24PM by marcl.

What about teams running 3 cars next year, Mclaren and Ferrari.

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"When you begin in this sport you are given a chequebook. Every time you have a big one you must write a check to the angels. The trick is to finish your career before you empty the chequebook".

Nope , economy's situation right now, teams couldn't handle i think, anyways this proves Max's right about levels of money being spend that he kept saying ( despite kers project)

Mosley demands F1 cuts costs

"Some of the manufacturers may be in difficulty now as well, because if you look at their share prices, their profitability, their sales, the days when they could just toss out €100, €200, €300 million ($137m-$411m) a year, which is what Formula One costs those big companies, I think they're finished," Mosley said.


He knew it was coming; tho some have to analyse better before criticize so much some things.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2008 10:55PM by Rodrigo007.

I don't think they'll sell easily... that's 2 teams for sale now. STR and Honda.

And less billionaires with open wallets in the present credit crunch climate.

Hmm... I can see an Abu Dhabi supported group coming along to collect one of them.

It's bad news, but while the timing was cause for some shock for me (I'd heard nothing to suggest this, and at least expected them to give some fore-warning, seeing out the season) it's not entirely unexpected. Honda have done it before, both as a constructor and a supplier.

Senna's F1 career is left hanging by a thread before it has even begun, Barrichello's career is over, and Button is left desperately searching for a team, needing to immediately get his foot in the STR door or, remarkably managing to somehow take a step backwards in 2009 and end up in a FI.

Anyway - BMW customer deal coming up. Audi?

"We'll still see Jenson next season. He'll be part of the BBC team."


rofl, joke from some forumers at autosport.

I hadn't seen this coming! I didn't know Honda were in that much trouble. You'd think that they would be less hurt by the crisis as they have cheap, small, clean cars. But yeah, if you're in trouble, stopping your 400m F1 project isn't a bad idea.

If Honda leaves, there'd be 18 cars on the grid, that's the absolute minimum, isn't it?

This is, unfortunately, what I have been predicting ever since manufacturer run teams began to be dominant in F1 5 or 6 years ago.

F1 is fine while the economy is strong, but when things get more challenging, it is an expensive marketing exercise that they can do without.

And what of the rest? Toyota now don't have their major rival to compete with... if BMW were to pull out, what is the point for Mercedes of being there?

The priority now has to be to get the costs down ASAP, as well as ensuring that teams like Williams are stable, and an entry route can be found for Prodrive if they want it - it will be the independent teams like Williams who will be there to pick up the pieces.



RedSam
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Gav - rumours are that the engine deal would be Ferrari, thanks to Ross Brawn and the fact that they have the "spare" ( term used loose ) from FI.

I have to say this is pretty much heart breaking for me! For one its the end of Honda and it bugs me so much that the effort and motivation this year has been huge and all for the future and now all 700 odd guys have pretty much lost their jobs.

Ill tell you what hasnt helped. KERS and the new regulations. Does the engine limitations have anything to do with it also?

And if they are stepping out of F1 then why stay in the sinking ship that is IRL??????!

Again an easy way to save money and to kill a series which is on its last legs.

btw off topic ( or is it ? ) any word of the single engine supplier biz?

edit - Prodrive, well Aston are not exactly doing well themselves atm either. Forget them making an effort to buy imo

Unless DaveR has ALOT more cash tied up somewhere, ebcause it could be the best thing to happen to the team since his arrival before!!!

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"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2008 11:40PM by chet.