[Duaceanceksm]

If true, this will be Honda's third exit from Formula 1 and it doesn't really surprise me in the least. All the manufacturers currently in F1, with the excpetion of Ferrari and Toyota, have come and gone as they please.

The inetersting questions will arise if no buyer is found. Who will fill the empty slots on the grid? The Concorde Agreement states a minimum of 20 cars does it not? Will Ferrari and McLaren have to field 3 cars next year? Is the Concorde Agreement still in force? What of Button, Barrichello and Brawn?

Barrichello will probably retire and Button still has enough reputation to land a drive somewhere. Brawn could probably get a job at just about any of the other teams. Actually, if I was Sir Frank I'd demote Sam Michael, put Patrick Head out to pasture and give Brawn whatever he wants. Unlikely, I know, but it must be tempting.

[Duaceanceksm]

The minimum is 16. If they drop below that, then the remaining teams are obliged to run third cars.

I'm pretty sure the minimum is 20, not 16. Bernie's ting himself right about now.

[awagsFare]

shocking, but not all together surprising.

The sad fact is that they ran Super Aguri out of town, who on a smaller budget and tighter management succeeded in outperforming Honda. I thought back then and still do today, that they should have hedged their bets with Super Aguri rather than listen to Nick Fry's jealous POV. Now hey have lost everything.

Honda looked at the regulations, saw no way to improve under the current regs, and decided to close shop than be bleeding cash. I fear Williams is next to close/suspend their F1 team.

I don't see many suitors lining up to buy an F1 team under these regs and with the stupefying money that the FIA/F1 want you to spend to get involved.

Tracks and teams leaving F1. Bernie and Max have truly killed the sport.

[TopcigsCOM]

What springs in my mind if one of teams decided to go is about bad precedence for the series rather than where the drivers and engineers will go. A reputed team like Honda will be in the proper termination for their employee once their plan about withdrawal official in effect. Driver like Button and engineer like Brawn will not have problem whatsoever about place to go next.

This can apparently stimulate other teams even for the bigger cash team like Toyota to make the same decision once they feel that competing in F1 can't give them enough benefit, but rather wasting money and time.

I think most of us here have the same concern on how to maintain teams to have enough resource to stay in the championship and the more important thing is how to make it attractive so teams fell homey being there, and to drive more participants involved and more people interested in and watching the sport...

[Duaceanceksm]

Tracks and teams leaving F1. Bernie and Max have truly killed the sport.

Blame Bernie 100% for the circuits leaving and partly for the teams leaving but Mosley can't be blamed for either. He's been on about costs for years and the teams have ignored him. He's got a big fat "I told you so" look on his face right about now. I doubt it's brought him any pleasure though.

[Loovikeillilen]

What about David Richards and Prodrive?
Couldn't this be his golden ticket?

Kuwaiti Investors Buy 40% Stake in U.K.-Based Prodrive
To help secure its future outlook and growth plan, Kuwaiti investment firm The Investment Dar Company (TID) has secured a 40% stake in Prodrive. he may have the money
http://www.newsonf1.com/2004/news/nov/nov19.htm
David Richards commented: "We were brought in by British American Tobacco to turn the team around and secure its long-term future and that is what we have done. I am immensely proud of what Prodrive has achieved in a shorter time than anticipated. I believe that B.A.R Honda is now in a very healthy position to continue its pursuit of the World Championship. Obviously I and all at Prodrive will take a strong interest in the fortunes of the team in the future."

[Loovikeillilen]

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?T...Allen&id=44706

how long has this be going on for

the package being put up for sale does not involve the potential new owner running Honda engines but instead involves Ferrari engines, a deal which one imagines Ross Brawn would have put together. but honda pulling out or selling the team would brake any contract that Ross Brawn had with the team i think

[Overlord]

It's pretty hard for Honda (or any manufacturer) to justify running an F1 team while laying off factory workers. It's a sad time, but for more of the world than just F1.

[Oppofeescom]

Wow...didn't expect that... at least so soon!

[TopcigsCOM]

who expected it?

[beriarele]

Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry and team principal Ross Brawn are 'deeply committed' to finding a buyer to save the team, a senior figure within the Brackley-based outfit has confirmed.

It is understood Brawn has already addressed the team staff to say that potential buyers have been lined up, and sources suggest moves are being made to secure a supply of customer Ferrari engines for 2009. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72323

[Broorbbub]

who expected it?

Me!

[estheticianI]

I mentioned this news yesterday on a different thread, but I think if Honda were struggling to finance the team, they are going to be hard pressed to find someone willing to take the gamble. The economy is in a very difficult stage and with sponsors dropping out of formula one left right and centre. Notably 'Credit Suisse',and interest in ploughing money to a racing outfit seems a low priority for most companies.

Honda came back into formula 1 hoping to recreate the late eighties early ninties era of Williams and Mclaren but have pretty much failed with their delivery. In nearly ten years of either supplying engines to BAR, and since owning the team since 2006, they have had a pretty poor record. 2004 was a good year but they failed to move with development into 2005. One GP win in ten years would put many major backers off IMHO.

Sad news all the same as 2 of my closest friends work for them in Brackley and may face an uncertain future.

[Caliwany]

This is always the drawback of manufacturer funded teams, if they aren't at the front then they aren't going to continue the funding, so they withdraw, simple. The exact same thing happened in the BTCC and it almost destroyed it.

Formula 1 has always had a tradition of private teams and manufacturer engines, so when a manufacturer pulls out, as they do, the team just switch engine supplier and continue.

[DfrtYhyu]

It's very sad for team Honda and the manufacturer.

I just hope Prodrive can put something together.

[wmirkru]

Now is the perfect time for a new team to get involved in F1. The one good effect of this economic slowdown is that with three vacant slots on the grid it's never been so cheap to become a team owner.

But then, if you're an investor, you can pick up a Premiership football team for about the same cost and have far greater exposure.

[beriarele]

Honda Racing's CEO Nick Fry remains 'hopeful' that the team will be on the grid in Melbourne next year...Fry also claims there are already interested potential buyers in the wings.

"We have only had a short amount of time but in the last 12 hours we've had three serious people come to us suggesting they would like to buy the team, so we are still hoping to be there in Melbourne," he said. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72326

[vSzsgifP]

Fry was on BBC Radio 5 this morning and his propaganda machine was in full flow - I wouldn't take much that he says at face value at the present time...

[irrascaft]

Formula 1 has always had a tradition of private teams and manufacturer engines, so when a manufacturer pulls out, as they do, the team just switch engine supplier and continue.

Yeah, I agree it was so much better in those days. Back then Honda or Renault pulling out simply meant that McLaren or Williams had to scrape by with a customer engine for a year or two. Maybe BMW's withdrawal helped accelerate Brabham's demise but they were always going downhill after Bernie started paying more and more attention to the sport as a whole before selling them anyway.

As an F1 fan I welcome manufacturer involvement, but their sustained involvement cannot be taken for granted, with the exception of perhaps Ferrari and even then stranger things have happened. With the odd other harmless exception such as Alfa Romeo and Renault's factory efforts in the 80s, I strongly believe that manufacturer involvement should always be limited to plugging into existing teams and supplying them with engines.

This way it gives F1 teams their own brand recognition in the same way football teams have. There is actually one example of this, Mercedes giving their supercar a "McLaren" badge, but to be honest names like Williams, Tyrrell, Minardi, Ligier, Sauber etc. always meant more to me personally than names like BMW, Toyota, Renault, Ford etc.

[wmirkru]

You can tell when F1 makes the mainstream news when "Ross Brown" is introduced by a BBC business reporter with apparently no knowledge of the sport