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2009 Formula One Thread

If true this is great news. Not only does it save a team from falling off the grid, but Branson seems to accel in everything he touches. Virgin Racing? I'd support that! :D
 
SpookTheHamster said:
Those times should probably be put into context
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From what I have been told the McLaren 2008 wing was their Monza wing which simulates the 2009 Monaco level of downforce so not as drastic as people may think. Although I am sure Mclaren do have aero problems, they have run with aero paint in the last week or so and they are running on an airfield in the UK with some very odd aero contraptions.

MOFS said:
Do we know if Honda will be racing in Melbourne? I seem to remember Nick Fry saying that they had enough money for them to race there. Any news of their buyout?
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From what I understand Honda have provided funding for the first 2 - 4 races in terms of a loan. There are also some very strong rumors about Virgin Group taking over the team to which there is some real substance from what I have heard.
 
Well Bernie wants the deal to happen. We'll see if the finances come together ...

BBC Sport

BBC Sport said:
Tycoon Richard Branson would "love" to take over the Honda Formula One team, Bernie Ecclestone has said. Honda have confirmed Branson's Virgin Group is one of several potential buyers of their F1 outfit. The British-based team was put up for sale in December after Honda announced they would quit the sport as both a constructor and engine supplier.

"I've spoken to Richard's people about it. He would love to do it," said F1 supremo Ecclestone.

...

Speaking about the prospect of Virgin being involved with F1, Ecclestone said: "I'd like it very much. It would be super. We're working to try to make it happen."

The team are very short on time to put a deal together to enable them to compete this season. They are planning to use Mercedes engines, but the German company has set a deadline by which the team have to prove they have the finances in place to pay for the power-plants. BBC Sport understands that deadline expires in a matter of days. Honda announced they were pulling out of F1 because of the effects of the global economic crisis. Since then the leading contender was rumoured to be a planned management buyout led by the team's current chief executive Nick Fry, principal Ross Brawn and three other senior Honda Racing executives.

Honda are prepared to provide some funding to go towards a racing budget for 2009 as this would be cheaper than paying off the contracts of the team's 700 employees.

Branson has been involved with F1 in a minor capacity - his Virgin Mobile company sponsored the Jordan team in 2002. Virgin Atlantic Japan have also been personal sponsors of Honda-backed Japanese driver Takuma Sato for the past four years. But a source close to Branson told BBC Sport that the entrepreneur had in the past been reluctant to get involved with F1, because he saw the sport as a "big black hole for money".
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pachyderm said:
I like a big field. I think they should let teams field three if they cars can. Take the first 26 fastest qualifiers.
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There at least was a rule (not sure if it is still part of the regulations) that in the event a certain minimum number of cars were not presented to the grid for qualifying, some teams were required to run a third car as necessary to meet said minimum.

I do not know the specifics of how the rule would have been carried out.
 
R.Youden said:
Yes, they have a car in brackley pretty much ready to go with a Merc engine and the old Honda gearbox.
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I still haven't seen anything that says this in the blogs, etc. I've only seen that if the team races, they're expected to use Mercedes engines.

What I read this past week, is that if funding comes through, the engineers will be scrambling to create the parts needed to mount a Mercedes engine in the Honda chassis (although I admittedly can not find the reference anymore). In another story, Mercedes isn't providing engines before Honda Racing can prove they have the funds for a full season of engine fees (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73281). That implies the Honda team likely has no Mercedes engine in their shops.
 
Watching the NASCAR race in CA just a minute ago and they were saying that AJ Allmendinger(sp?) is being linked to the new US F1 team...
 
That is interesting. They also went on to say that he wasn't denying the rumor... :confused: :rolleyes:


Of the names I've heard mentioned going to USF1 his is the only one that intrigues me.
 
pachyderm said:
That is interesting. They also went on to say that he wasn't denying the rumor... :confused: :rolleyes:


Of the names I've heard mentioned going to USF1 his is the only one that intrigues me.
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Peter Windsor was on Wind Tunnel last night talking about USF1. He did not nail down any candidates at all. He said they would like to have two American drivers, but they would like to have one experienced F1 driver. So they could end up with one non-American as Scott Speed is the only experienced American driver. Of course that would burn Gerhard Berger's butt if Scott Speed showed up in the F1 paddock again.

Official announcement on Speed, 2/24 @ Noon EDT.
 
It doesn't look good for an offer coming through for Honda. :(

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73392

Article also states today is the deadline for Honda to inform and provide funds to Merc for the engines.

I suppose this goes in line with Branson's green comments last week?

I also find Eccelston's comment about his "offer" very arrogant. At least that's how I read it.
 
The BBC have announced/confirmed their coverage plans for 2009. And I have to say it sounds good: multiple video streams, live streaming online (UK only), extra shows on the red button, all track sessions broadcast. :D
 
Well it sounds like any deal with "Honda" will involve team members buying out the team from Honda Co. This may actually be good in the long run. In conjunction with USF1 plans these two steps could lend themselves towards a situtation like that recently outlined by Dietrich Mateschitz.
 
Well good news if you didn't already see it - Honda Racing has been saved. Or rather perhaps salvaged? Now 'Brawn GP' the outfit will be set to race in the 2009 season. Unfortunately they've spent so much time with getting this matter sorted out they will have little to no time to shake the car down prior to the start in 3 weeks. Less than Force India! :(

1236340750.jpg


Looks 90% BMW with a mix of Merc in there. I believe they spent much of last year working on this model, so hopefully it's a good year for them.

How far to fund payouts go each year? Through 'rank x', or is it based on a system of Point(s) = X $?
 
Good luck to them, its good there still around, wonder what the car will look like?
 
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