The shock of Honda's exit from the sport is starting to fade now, and we're just left with a lot of questions about who is going to buy the team and what it means for them. We've covered this in a couple of posts yesterday, so let's try and look at something else for Saturday.
- The FIA have announced they've teamed up with Cosworth exclusively for the standard engine supply in 2010. It's been a while since Cosworth were around - anyone have any good memories of Cosworth-powered teams?
- Toyota have issued a statement saying they are committed to Formula 1 and won't pull out anytime soon. Who would you rather see on the grid - Honda or Toyota?
- Dani Clos, F3 driver, will be having his second go in the Williams at Jerez next week. I know nothing about him, whether he's any good or not. Is he being groomed to be the next Nico Rosberg as he'll be "considering his future" this year?
- Also, cruelty to Teddy Bears.
Those are my thoughts at the moment, and as ever, there are plenty more floating around in the comments. Don't feel constrained by what I've written above, feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on any subject below. I'll see you in the comments.
anyone have any good memories of Cosworth-powered teams? {original post}
Yes I do. I've got Brazil 2003 on my PDA - I still grin when I think of that improbable victory of Jordan's and Fisichella's.
Wow. I'd love to see that race again. In fact, here's a nice highlight vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ji9MTLdfnQ
That was a broken link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ji9MTLdfnQ
Having a race on a portable device is very helpful when the train system goes to pot - a week last Thursday, I spent 3 1/4 hours trying to do a 25-minute route and because I had the race to watch, I was still smiling when I boarded the rail replacement bus that finally brought me home. Much to the confusion of the bus driver, who expected everyone to be miserable because they'd spent ages being shunted around to no effect...
Owl-Gate part II:
Er, what are you doing with a male Snowy Owl? I know they are very common here in the Land of Frozen Tundra, but the Islanders would be shocked to see them in the north west part of Scotland, and not at all in "southern" England, where I am guesing your from.... (Aunt lives in Manchester, and you do not sound like her at all.)
Female Snowy Owls all have balck bands on them. The owl in question is clearly all white, a distinction of the male of the species.
One can only conclude that you stole one from the Wilds of the Frozen Tundra.....
David Richards (and his Middle East backers) should buy the Honda team. I think it's time for Nick Fry to go - he always seems way to cheery for a guy with an underperforming team.
Doesn't Bernie guarantee 20 cars on the grid? Maybe he will have to cough up the dough if no one else materializes. I'd like to see him pay to keep the team going.
Are any teams really going to buy the Cosworth engine? Torro Rosso? If it still exists? Maybe Benneton or whatever the team is called when Renault leaves in 2010. When Toytota bows out, Williams will have a Cosworth, too.
Nico Rosberg needs to keep his mouth shut. His rookie teammate has been making him look bad, so he should up his game before complaining. Maybe he could replace Fisi at Force India.
Barry
Let's see. All the Lotus championships. But for me, it was Stewart Grand Prix winning at the Nurburgring.
Honda.
What, Williams has a future?
In the old Muppet Show voice: "BEARS IN SPACE!!!"
LINK for the reference. : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss8GrYjr0_Q
Morning,
A few more for the numbers game.
69, The number of points James Hunt scored in 1976, his WDC winning year.
70, The number of points finishes scored by Jean Alessi
71, The number of race wins by car number 2
That's a good one! How on earth did you work that out?
Hah I cheated, I found that stat on the driver database.
Here's the link: http://www.f1db.com/exec/section/car/action/graph/page/Car_number_with_most_victories
I've also read this and seen it suggested that some of the teams could be asked to run 3 cars. If that were to happen it seems very unfair on teams further back on the grid who are already fighing for the last few points anyway.
Who would get the potential third race seat in a team? .. a promotion for test drivers perhaps.
'72 - The year Emerson Fittipaldi won his first drivers title driving a Lotus 72D with a Ford Cosworth engine.
"Toyota have issued a statement saying they are committed to Formula 1 and won’t pull out anytime soon. Who would you rather see on the grid - Honda or Toyota?"
After the way Jenson's been treated, Toyota.
They may be fairly average, but indeed, Toyota.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/72363
Button to Toro Rosso then?
Morning all,
Off the top of my head (so perhaps not utterly correct), 18 is the threshold.
Much amusement yesterday avening at a swallee organised by Anthony R (of the new Red Bulletin mag) in a London pub. Anthony decided to send a text to the editor of Motor Sport, chiding him for not turning up. Sadly, owing to 'finger trouble' it was sent to the alphabetically adjacent person in the phone's book.
"Jimmy, Jarvo, Codders and VdB are here. Why aren't you?"
Damon Hill hasn't responded yet.
Haha! :-D
Honda. RIP.
I've been travelling (hence I'm 24 hours behind the news) and saw on the news last night that Honda were selling but didn't realise just exactly when and what that meant. Wow.
Teddy's in space? I see (With my little eye) we've all moved on from games of eyespy...
Just something random here - I've been watching the F1 exclusive Belgium race edit, and I've noticed something. Watch this uploaded version on youtube and pause it at 2'31.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1TLCGZuYXSU&feature=related
Now it's probably just me here, but doesn't that woman in the Ferrari garage look somewhat like a certain someone we know around here?
Like I said, it's probably just me here... :P
It's most definitely you!
Off the top of my head (so perhaps not utterly correct), 18 is the threshold. {Stuart C - 4 comments ago}
Last time there was a risk of third cars, Paul Stoddart moaned that the limit was 20 cars (last PS paragraph) - though he may have been incorrect himself, since I've never seen the Concorde Agreement in full to check the statement. I know the FIA doesn't appear to believe in the Agreement any more, but if it noted it has the power to penalise the teams if they don't provide enough third cars, I think they'd ignore the inconsistency and enforce the rule anyway...
Damon Hill hasn’t responded yet. {Stuart C - 4 comments ago}
That is brilliant :D I can just imagine him reading the message and wondering who some of the nicknames referred to...
72 - The fabulous wedge shaped Lotus 72 that raced in F1 for 5 seasons
Imagine that 5 seasons without major rule changes
I'm dying to know who the 3 "interested parties" in Honda are. One must be Dave Richards. and I hope to god it is. I know some people dislike him, but I'm a fan of his. I'm convinced that he'll buy Honda and Prodrive will be on the grid in 2009, especially when you see the reason for not entering in 08:
<i>Although a 2009 entry has not been officially ruled out, it seems unlikely given that Prodrive's chief executive David Richards had previously stated that it would be prohibitively expensive for the team to build its own car.[1]</i>
Seems perfect, especially with the reduced price. My only guess at the other 2 offers would be Jean Alesi and Paul Stoddart.
Oh a new game. Name the 3 Honda bidders.
1. Dave Richards - Prodrive - Would be a great addition to the grid and would not be pushed around by Bernie/Max. A genuine heavyweight.
2. ART - Best team in GP2 for a few years and the predecessor team was the best in Euro F3. This is the type of team that should be moving into F1.
3. Random unknown Arab consortium - There have been rumours of various Arab consortia taking over teams since McLaren sold a share of their team to the middle east.
I think most of us are agreeing on Todt and Richards. But it's the identity of the 3rd group that's got most of us guessing. :)
I suppose the third one could be team Brawn if he can find people to back him.
A team Brawn would probably involve the Todts in some capacity, so I'm bunching him in with the ART option. :)
Just a thought: why hasn't anyone mentioned Michael Schumacher yet? Is no one really thinking of him as a potential investor in a team run by good friend Ross?
Brawn wanted to be team principal at Ferrari after Todt and left because he couldn't get that job. I think it is unlikely that he would choose to work for Todt again let alone Todt junior.
Schumacher is far to intelligent to put his own money into an F1 team. He would only buy a stake as an investment if someone else owned the majority and let him run it.
About the Todts, one must swallow pride if one is to survive. Simple as that, really.
Schumacher wouldn't run the team, for sure. He'd be more of a consultant. But I do see him being part of a consortium that Ross could put together if need be.
With Schuie have a better record than Prost and Stewart, it seems to me if you follow the reverse of this pattern to see how well they did as team owners: Stewart, Prost, Schumacher.
Man, how bad a joke does Schuie have to be to be worst than Alain Prost as a team owner?
I suppose Carlin could be an outside bet for the third bidder. When Trevor Carlin lost the tender for the 12th grid slot (Twelve teams? That seems a world away now!), he did say that he wasn't giving up on his plans to enter F1. However, as with so many other potential team owners, funding would be a major issue for them.
I would rather see Honda than Toyota on the grid - at least Honda had a season where they competed for the title...well, kind of. Also Honda f1 have more charisma...Toyota have a huge budget and have got nowhere. They just make up the numbers. They are bland, bland, bland!.
The only bad thing about these high budget manufactures going down the shoot is that people will lose there jobs, but F1 is not a job for life and a good engineer with F1 on the cv should not be out of work for long. Bring on the colorful independent (low budget) teams in f1...sooner the better.
S.
you'd be shocked if he turned up and you had to buy him drinks ;)
I agree entirely. I'm struggling to think of a single positive contribution Toyota has made to F1.
With Honda pulling out, though, I'm forced into hoping that Toyota keep up their F1 commitments. If they go as well, the pinnacle of motorsport is going to start looking like something of a wasteland.
Franck!!
Well, they did give Franck a test drive, so thumbs up for that. But they promised him a race seat and never came through. So net contribution is negligable, I agree.
This medication we're giving you, its not making you lose your sight is it?
Davey Richards, ART (imagine the paper headlines, ART wipe the Canvas, Master brush stroke by ART) and Stoddy the Stoddart
Made up the numbers?
Ahem, silly me. :D
Lads and lasses....
Could you each answer a question for me...(if this has been said/asked today then ask)
If you were mr button and you'd been told you can get out your contract and go somewhere else....would you? or would you just hope and pray that a buyer is found?
Being Mr. R.G, I would leave for Toro Rosso.
Being Mr. Button, I'd stay and hope that a buyer has been found, he's been at Honda for a good couple of years now and owes the team.
I think i would try to stick with the team, but ultimately if a drive came along at another team, i would go to where ever i could get a drive. A season out in f1 is a long time, and almost makes it harder to return.
just one question, R.G.. how exactly does he owe the team? the way i see it is he has stuck with them even though he has not been given the best cars, he has held out all through 08 when the car, that was promised to be better actually turned out to be just as bad as the 07 car, and not to mention given them a race win.
if i were mr. button, it would depend on what the money was like.
:)
Well, y'see, erm, well, I dunno?
sorry, i'm not that great with coping with Button criticism atm ;)
to put it bluntly....i don't think he's lacking on it :P
If I were Button, I would sit tight with Honda until the end of the month. If a buyer hasn't materialised by then, I'd pack my things and head for Toro Rosso. Looking at the drivers Toro Rosso are currently looking at, they'll gladly put off their driver selection until Button confirms whether he is available.
same as me. and ive seen that torro rosso are offering him a test in a fortnight's time, i'd take the test and then wait.
He should take the test as long as it doesn't invalidate his Honda contract. I can't imagine honda wuld block him because it suits them to get rid of him cheaply. Trouble is STR are looking for drivers to bring a budget and Button has never had a string of personal sponsors.
Alright, I'll say it. I think she looks like Christine. There, I said it :P
it could be me... but at 2:31 it looks like an f1 car to me.... and Christine looks nothing like an f1 car.
Lou, I've had a long day at work, and today was absolutely heaving. That's not helping...
Try 2'32.
sorry, i think you mean 2:27.. and i agree with the others, it doesn't look like Christine. didn't mean to make your day worse, i don't seem too good at the whole joke thing atm.
No, like I said above, try 2'32.
I think Torro Rosso will be the next team to go down...you know why i say that?
...because they are going to be testing a whole lot of people this week, and thats bound to bump up the costs a whole heap :P
I could swear that Nick Heidfeld is at the British Comedy Awards.
Is there a live show on tomorrow?
Nope.
Oh no! Don't tell me I have to make my own entertainment :)
Well there is, erm, Suzuki Swift Cup on Sky Sports Xtra
There is no sidepodpanel. I don't know if there will be a debrief to cover the Honda news etc
If anyone's interested, I'm reaally ticked off right now. RLB related issues. :/
Crash out with a bug? Miss deadlines? Won't work?
think christine's gonna put the details in the midnight post.
Nope, getting pulverised because I've given my opinion and no-one likes it.
And now being told I can't have an opinion because some people might not like it.
Ah, that doesn't work either.
#and for us that will be 8 hours late ;)
:D
I was being serious.
Anyways, just for the good old times, decided to start watching the full 2006 Hungarian GP, loved it at the start when James Allen say, 'This has a Michael Schumacher feel about it. How wrong he was.
What he got away with at the end of that race was unbelievable. (Both Michael and James, that is.) :P
I set my watch based on the number of times Button broke his contract, myself, so nothing new here. Be more schocked he did not break it, actually.