FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[rev]

Just read this on the autosport.com website...not good...

F1 braced for BMW exit announcement

By Jonathan Noble and Dieter Rencken Tuesday, July 28th 2009, 21:26 GMT

BMW's future in Formula 1 is in serious doubt amid mounting speculation that the German car manufacturer will announce its withdrawal from the sport at the end of this season, on Wednesday.

An emergency press conference has been called at BMW's headquarters in Munich, where it is suggested that the car company may reveal that it has decided to end its involvement in F1.

The invite to the press conference said it had been called because of 'current developments in motor sport.'

The press conference will be hosted by Dr. Norbert Reithofer, the chairman of the BMW board, Dr. Klaus Draeger, the director for development, and Mario Theissen, BMW motorsport director. The presence of such senior management figures suggests that the announcement will be very significant.

Officials at BMW refused to comment about what the press conference was about, but they did confirm that it was 'important' news.

BMW had hoped to fight for the world championship this year, but instead the F1.09 has fallen short of expectations. Its struggles, allied to the abandonment of its KERS, that BMW had pushed hard for in F1, are likely to have played a part in any decision about the future of the team.

Although BMW Sauber had a difficult start to the season, Theissen has made it clear on several occasions that the team's form had not changed the BMW Board's commitment to F1.

"We analysed and evaluated the situation and the F1 programme with the board prior to the start of the season in February," said Theissen in May. "It was overall a very positive evaluation and judgement, and that hasn't changed.

"Apparently everybody is disappointed about the sporting results, but other than that there is no news and we have not discussed it since."

However, sources suggest that a review meeting was planned for July to decide the future of the team - and this may be behind any announcement planned for the morning.

Should BMW confirm it is pulling out of the sport, it will be the second car manufacturer to do so in eight months - with Honda having announced last December that it was to leave the sport.

The announcement will be more of a surprise, however, because BMW Sauber was on the verge of signing a Concorde Agreement that would have committed the team to F1 until the end of 2012.

[Denthúl]

No.

[Leo-The_Red]

This means annother new team next year!

[Hanwombat]

Noo

[Denthúl]

Why is it always my teams that go? [/selfish]

[8-ball]

Well this is another blow to the sport and again highlights the need to make F1 a profitable enterprise as well as a sporting event.

Imagine if the breakaway happened and BMW pulled out...

[Denthúl]

Well this is another blow to the sport and again highlights the need to make F1 a profitable enterprise as well as a sporting event.

Imagine if the breakaway happened and BMW pulled out...

Yeah. The budget capping really needs to happen, but of course that's only part of the problem...

[Amanda]

Ack, just saw this on the news This season has been pretty dire for them but I'd hoped they'd come back strong next year.

[hamilton08]

i cannot believe this
last year Kubica could of won the world championship just if they would of worked on his car.
and it really looked like they were going somewere
but to quit after 1 bad season when the season before they were title contendors very bad decision.
look at honda they left and brawn gp have done so well

[rev]

i honestly thought it would have been Toyota..and working for them (Toyota Motor Corp), i still have this inkling that they might pull out (pending the signing of the Concorde Agreement) but as for BMW...it has been confirmed unfortunately:

BMW will quit F1 at the end of 2009

By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, July 29th 2009, 08:02 GMT

BMW has announced it is to quit Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season, as AUTOSPORT predicted last night.

The news was confirmed at a press conference in Munich this morning, and comes on the back of a disappointing campaign for the outfit.

Dr. Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the BMW board, said that the decision was made after a refining of the company's future strategy.

"Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment," he said.

"Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula 1 campaign is thus less a key promoter for us.

"Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motor sports program since 1999. We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula 1 racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario Theissen and his team for this."

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen, who spearheaded the company's efforts as an engine supplier with Williams and then later with BMW Sauber, said he understood the reasons behind the withdrawal.

"Of course, we, the employees in Hinwil and Munich, would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years," he said. "But I can understand why this decision was made from a corporate perspective. We will now focus sharply on the remaining races and demonstrate our fighting spirit and put in a good result as we bid farewell to Formula 1 racing."

Dr. Klaus Draeger, member of the board who is responsible for development, said this season's poor results had played a part in the move to quit F1.

"It only took us three years to establish ourselves as a top team," he said. "Unfortunately, we were unable to meet expectations in the current season.

"Nevertheless, our ten years of Formula 1 experience have had a major impact on our development engineers. We have racing to thank for numerous technological innovations as well as the competitive spirit that drives us to develop mass-produced cars."

[McLaren Fan]

Initially, I was quite surprised, but, after I thought about it, my surprise went away. The recession is still biting and this season has been a massive disappointment for BMW and has probably damaged the team's medium-term prospects of success. McLaren, for instance, are getting their act together and should have a solid base on which to develop their 2010 car; BMW, on the other hand, are in meltdown.

[McLaren Fan]

From F1 Live:

As the clock ticks down to the BMW announcement, Bernie Ecclestone said it was the Munich marque's failure to win the world championship that led to the decision to quit Formula One.

BMW's withdrawal follows fellow car manufacturer Honda's decision late last year, and the big fear now is that Renault and Toyota may quickly follow suit.

F1 chief executive Ecclestone said a recent conversation with BMW Sauber team boss Mario Theissen indicated that the company's board had set a deadline for championship success.

However after ten races this year, the Hinwil-based outfit has scored just eight points and is the lowest placed carmaker in the constructors' standings.

Ecclestone told BBC radio that Theissen was recently confident about competing for the title.

"It appears it's not quite been like that, so perhaps that's why they've (chosen) to stop," he said.

BMW has titled its imminent press conference "current developments in motor sport", indicating that the recent political turmoil will be blamed for the decision to quit. But Ecclestone hinted that might not be honest.

"When you consider how much money they've spent and the results they've got, it's probably not such a good investment," he said.

Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International

[scotty]

Wow, this was somewhat unexpected.

It also throws a massive curveball regarding potential driver lineups next year! Alonso and Kubica at Renault, anyone?

Or indeed, if Williams did lose Rosberg, Kubica as a replacement would be more than fine with me!

[Monzilla]

With luck we could get a management buy out scenario ala Brawn Honda and have Sauber back as a team!

[headless]

Kubica to McLaren.
If only they had continued developing last years car...