Honda CEO reportedly rules out return to Formula One
Things could hardly have played out worse for Honda. It has poured what surely amounted to billions of dollars for years into its Formula One team with little effect. Then it brought in Ross Brawn, only to withdrew its support from the squad, then it sold the entire operation to Brawn while paying out big bucks to avoid an even bigger severance bill. And only then did Brawn turn the F1 team into a winner. That'd be enough to send some automakers scurrying to get back in the game, but not Honda.
The Japanese automaker's new CEO Tokanobu Ito has reportedly completely ruled out the possibility of a return to F1 "even if the economy improves," deriding the series as bereft of relevant development possibilities. Well, there you have it. No word, however, on whether Honda will support the 2010 Japanese Grand Prix at its Suzuka Circuit after Toyota withdrew its Fuji Speedway from the event.
[Source: Autosport | Image: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
abhilash005 6:05PM (7/16/2009)
Does any company make money out of F1?
Reply
tankd0g 9:01PM (7/16/2009)
You could say that Ferrari ONLY makes their money from F1, but not directly of course. Everyone else.. I highly doubt anyone ever bought a Camry over an Accord based on Truli's finishing position.
hashiryu 10:20PM (7/16/2009)
Formula one COULD be a very profitable business model if Bernie and the CVC didn't suck it dry every year. F1 is a multi-BILLION dollar business, and the teams should be profitable. For this alone would have been a good enough reason for FOTA to split. Alas, the more things change, the more they stay the same :(
Krystian 10:47PM (7/16/2009)
Heres the thing, I think F1 does translate to sales. even if it's just slight. I guess the only public example shared with us would be when Subaru won the WRC champsionship with Solberg and Subbies Doubled in sales, selling out everywhere, all over Norway.
If anything I know F1 contributes massively to brand awareness globally. Whether its Red Bull or McLaren Mercedes.
abhilash005 11:25PM (7/16/2009)
So it is more like advertising. Seems like one hell of a way to spend on advertising!
Redline 10:55AM (7/17/2009)
I think Ferrari F1 team actually turns a profit? McLaren might as well.
Franz 6:22PM (7/16/2009)
Oh, well...
Reply
GoLowDrew 6:36PM (7/16/2009)
The bottom line question is, does racing translate into showroom sales? Honda's money was well spent in the past. Fans of F1 racing already know the Honda name, racing history, and victories. They still remember. Those who don't follow racing, won't care if Honda is in F1 or not.
Kitko 6:40PM (7/16/2009)
Why would they return?
Buying back Brawn that until recently lived from Honda's money? Even the upgrade Brawn got for Spain was financed by Honda money. That is gone now. Brawn is a one-season wonder that will be a solid mid-fielder in 2010 IF the manage to find a major sponsor. So far, they have none.
Honda would have to start from scratch and it makes no sense. Supplying engines, perhaps.
Reply
tankd0g 8:58PM (7/16/2009)
Seems to me the key to winning was getting rid of the Honda engines.....
Brad 8:46AM (7/17/2009)
@tankd0g,
That's been my point also during all of this talk about how sorry Honda must be to see the Brawn winning now. Well who's to say that if the Brawn still had the Honda engine in it the car might be mid-pack at best. Yes aerodynamics are playing a big part in Brawn's success but I think the Mercedes engine plays just as big of a part.
Murdock 6:46PM (7/16/2009)
ORLY?
It's like they have a chance of being frontrunners anyway....LOL......They couldnt even build a proper engine with real POWER and TORQUE that can compete with the big boys, what a shame.......Good riddance HONDUH focus on your road cars for now cuzz from what im seeing your creating some pretty UGLY product lately....
Time to reconciliate:
-Quality went $hit
-Design went $hit
-MPG went $hit
-No new techology so far( dont know how to do V8? 8-Speed?)
-Your VTAK is getting old.
-ACURA brand is stuck and can't go any further.
-Hyundai is knocking at your door LOL
Good Riddance
Reply
chconline 7:08PM (7/16/2009)
Error.... facts not found
Error.... funny not found
Error.... sarcasm detector failed
Stupidity detector.... 36 statements found!
Kiiks 5:31AM (7/17/2009)
Murdock, do you have a tattoo of a J-body Cavalier on your forearm?
ntcougar7 6:55AM (7/17/2009)
I agree with some points...
Farmboy 11:06PM (7/17/2009)
Instead, the CEO will work towards his life dreams of imaginary puppetry.
Reply
Throwback 8:27AM (7/17/2009)
Why would anyone want to deal with Bernie?
Reply
hakuta 9:45AM (7/17/2009)
_ ∩
( ﾟ∀ﾟ)彡 HONDA! HONDA!
⊂彡
Don't forget Honda soul!!
Reply
DJ 10:30AM (7/17/2009)
If you read these comments carefully, I wouldn’t worry about this, Honda will still be racing just not likely in F1 – as it is today being “bereft of relevant development possibilities” – if that changes, you would likely see Honda back in some capacity even if they said today they won’t return period. The problem is F1 technology is irrelevant to the development of tomorrow’s vehicles vis a vis climate change, peak cheap oil, etc.
Reply
petrol42 7:37PM (7/18/2009)
I wonder if Sochiro Honda would be happy how Honda Motor Co. is running today if he were still alive.
Their return to F1 started off promising in 2000 and they probably would be a top team today if they hadn't fired David Richards as the Team Principle of the team. He had the team on track to start winning races consistently but was pushed out after their peak season in 2004 for that loser Nick Fry.
It just seems now that the Honda Racing program as a whole is in shambles. They use to be top contenders if not having the top engines in motorsports whether it be cars or motorcycles. Now they've fallen by the wayside in all forms of motorcycle racing and they're auto racing should be non-existent. I know Honda is doing good with Acura in ALMS but they aren't racing the best Sports Cars that are from Peugeot and Audi and in IRL, they're the sole supplier of engines so of course they'll win every race.
Its sad to say because I've been a Honda guy all my life but Honda sucks now. Their racing program sucks and their consumer cars especially suck now.
BTW, some peeps were criticizing Honda's F1 engines as being underpowered. I'd have to disagree and say it was the chassis' aerodynamics that sucked. For the past few years, all the different manufacturer's engines seemed to be on parity with each other as far as power output with the difference in lower lap times on chassis aerodynamics. That is exemplified today with different teams using the same engines. Take Red Bull Racing for example. They use the same Renault engines as the Renault F1 team does but while RBR is a top contending team this year, Renault F1 isn't. Same engine, different chassis. Another example is BrawnGP. They use Mercedes engines but while they're #1 right now, Mercedes is on the opposite end of the spectrum.
And as far as F1 translating into car sales. I'd have to say yes. With television viewership that is second only to soccer, I'd have to say that F1 has a major impact on marketing. If you live in american like me, you woudn't notice the marketing appeal of F1 since its not popular in america but I'd be willing to bet that an average F1 race has the same, if not more viewers than the Super Bowl.
Reply