Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[SPOILER ALERT: Getting down to the point at the Japanese Grand Prix]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/04/spoiler-alert-getting-down-to-the-point-at-the-japanese-grand-p/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/04/spoiler-alert-getting-down-to-the-point-at-the-japanese-grand-p/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/04/spoiler-alert-getting-down-to-the-point-at-the-japanese-grand-p/#commentsFiled under: ,

2009 Italian Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery

Underdogs turned front-runners. Grands prix won by six different drivers. Four teams switching their lineups midseason. A multiple world champion (quite nearly) returning to the grid. A team principal and technical director shamed into retirement. A retiring motorsport figurehead sparking a heated race for his succession, and several new teams preparing to join the grid. More so than any other in recent memory, this season of Formula One racing has been packed with excitement. But now it all comes down to three things: points, points and - you guessed it - points. Because while the championship has been in contention since the start of the season some seven months ago in Melbourne, we're now down to the final rounds where the titles will be ultimately decided.

Crossing the East China Sea from Singapore to Japan, Jenson Button held a commanding lead in the drivers' standings, and with his teammate Rubens Barrichello in second place, Brawn GP looked poised to take the constructors' crown as well. All they'd need would be another few points and they'd have it all locked up, leaving their rivals fighting over the table scraps. Follow the jump to see if they got 'em.


Gallery: 2009 Japanese Grand Prix



Continue reading SPOILER ALERT: Getting down to the point at the Japanese Grand Prix

SPOILER ALERT: Getting down to the point at the Japanese Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At the risk of sounding like the end of a cheesy kung-fu movie, the future of the Japanese Grand Prix is safe...for now. After Toyota confirmed it could no longer host the race at its Fuji Speedway, Honda has reportedly stepped up to secure a new deal with Bernie Ecclestone to hold the race at its Suzuka circuit for the next three years. Hiroshi Oshima, president of Honda's Mobilityland division met with Ecclestone in Valencia at the European Grand Prix this past weekend to sign the contract.

The Suzuka International Racing Course hosted the event twice in the early Sixties before the Japanese Grand Prix switched to Fuji. Suzuka hosted again from 1987 through 2006, after which an alternating agreement was signed between the two tracks. With Suzuka now set to host until 2011, Honda will hold the race but field no team, while Toyota continues to compete but host no race...for now.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Clive Mason/Getty]

REPORT: Suzuka secures future of Japanese Grand Prix for three years originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bernie ecclestoneBernieEcclestoneecclestonef1formula 1formula oneFormula1FormulaOnefujifuji speedwayFujiSpeedwayhiroshi oshimaHiroshiOshimahonda suzukaHondaSuzukajapan gpjapanese gpjapanese grand prixJapaneseGpJapaneseGrandPrixJapanGpmobilitylandoshimasuzukasuzuka circuitSuzukaCircuittoyota fujiToyotaFujiMon, 24 Aug 2009 18:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Honda CEO reportedly rules out return to Formula One]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/honda-ceo-rules-out-return-to-formula-one/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/honda-ceo-rules-out-return-to-formula-one/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/honda-ceo-rules-out-return-to-formula-one/#commentsFiled under: , ,



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]

Honda CEO reportedly rules out return to Formula One originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota finances being what they are, the company is ruthlessly assessing its accounts and making cuts anywhere it deems appropriate. The latest head to roll is the Formula 1 race at Fuji Speedway, Toyota's own circuit. Opened in 1965 and host of the Japanese Grand Prix for the first time in 1976, Formula 1 returned to Fuji in 2007 and 2008, and was due again in 2010.

In spite of that, Toyota deemed the $20-to-$30 million dollars necessary to hold a Grand Prix -- a mere fraction of the money it spends on its F1 team - couldn't be justified. Said Hiroaki Kato, president of Fuji Speedway (above), trading conditions have made the race "extremely difficult."

This year's Japanese GP will be held at Honda's Suzuka as scheduled, but next year's race will need to be decided on. Honda has said it has no idea where the 2010 race will be held.

[Source: AFP via Google | Image: Yoshikazu Tsuno/Getty]

REPORT: Cost cutting leads Toyota to cease hosting Japanese Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota's Timo Glock at the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway

In any game of chicken, it's all about who flinches first. Ever since its first running in 1963, the Japanese Grand Prix has bounced between Fuji Speedway and Suzuka Circuit, the former dominating in the '60s and '70s before the latter got the exclusive in the late-'80s through 2006, at which point Fuji took over again. The rivalry is about more than just the tracks, though: With Toyota owning Fuji and arch-rival Honda owning Suzuka, the back-and-forth has become something of a turf war between the country's automotive powerhouses.

Two years ago, the two tracks worked out a deal that would have the race alternating year to year, sort of like Germany's arrangement between Hockenheim and the Nürburgring. However, emerging reports suggest that tightening belts at Toyota could spell trouble for Fuji Speedway. The costs of hosting a Formula 1 grand prix event continue to escalate, and those costs may be harder to justify for the cash-strapped auto giant - especially if ticket sales don't cover the budget. Honda is likely in no better a financial situation, as evidenced by their unfortunate withdrawal from the sport. But if Toyota flinches first, Honda might win the race... in one sense or another.

[Source: F1-Live | Image: Mark Thompson/Getty]

REPORT: Toyota woes spell trouble for Fuji Speedway originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click above for high-res gallery of the Japanese F1 GP

Wildcards. That's what racing fans want, isn't it? Yet so many seasons in the recent history of grand prix racing have been down to just a handful of drivers - just one or two, in many cases - contending for race victories and ultimately the championship. Last year's four-way face-off between Kimi Raikkonnen, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso put the racing world on notice. But even that free-for-all is paling by comparison to this season, with no fewer than seven drivers (Hamilton, Raikkonen, Massa, BMW's Robert Kubica, McLaren's number two Heikki Kovalainen, double world champion Fernando Alonso and even perennial back-marker Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel) taking turns on the top step of the podium, turning the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship into a heated battle the likes of which we haven't seen for a long time. This weekend's Japanese Grand Prix was no exception. And if you don't have it recorded for future enjoyment, follow the jump to read why.

Gallery: 2008 Japanese Formula One Grand Prix



Continue reading Japanese GP: Wheel to Wheel Action at Fuji [SPOILER ALERT]

Japanese GP: Wheel to Wheel Action at Fuji [SPOILER ALERT] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's been awhile since we touched on Toyota's plans for its upcoming LF-A supercar, the concept of which debuted at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show. Auto Express is reporting the production version will debut as the pace car at next year's Japanese Grand Prix, which is taking place at the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway for the first time in 30 years. The F1 race takes place at the same time as the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, so we should expect the official debut there. Buyers will still have to wait until early 2009 to buy an LF-A, as Toyota is still working hard to nail down the hardware. Auto Express is reporting sheetmetal has been ditched in favor of an all-carbon fiber body and the powerplant will be a 500-hp 5.0L V10 derived directly from F1 racing. With a weight just north of 2,500 lbs its performance should be world class, as will the price that's expected to be around $150,000.

Thanks for the tip, Ahmet!

[Source: Auto Express, picture credit - Auto Bild]

Toyota LF-A Supercar to debut as pacecar for 2007 Japanese Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 May 2006 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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