FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[darwin dali]

F1live:
The Honda Motor Co. has congratulated its former Formula One team for winning last Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

Due to the global financial crisis, the Japanese carmaker announced its complete withdrawal from the sport late last year, handing over to Ross Brawn after a management buyout.

The Brackley-based team's efforts last year, however, laid the foundations of the now Brawn GP-branded BGP001 single seater, which with Mercedes power in Australia qualified and finished in first and second places.

Moreover, the bulk of Brawn's 2009 budget was pledged by Honda to ensure the team remained a going concern for this season.

Ross Brawn revealed at Albert Park last Saturday that Japanese executives had been in contact with him to applaud his success.

"We are incredibly delighted that our team-mates, with whom we worked until last season, have started from extremely difficult circumstances to earn this victory," Honda Motor Co. said in a statement.

It added: "Congratulations to the Brawn GP Formula One team."



Still, harakiri should be a viable option

[bmwpower]

As the Chairman of Honda sits down in his boardroom meeting, Ashton Kucher walks in and say, "You been PUNK'D".

[Jabberwocky]

All I could think whilst reading that is:-

Smile and wave boys, smile and wave!

[scotty]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out...

Taxi for Honda...

etc etc etc

[Hanwombat]

All I could think whilst reading that is:-

Smile and wave boys, smile and wave!

Too bad Honda, buh bye now

[stonemonkey]

I don't get it, while they'll be gutted not to have been part of what went on in Australia I'm sure any of the guys at Honda who worked to get that development done and who are into motor racing will be more than happy to see the results of their efforts. Is anyone really saying the guys at Honda didn't know what they had in that car?

[Gaz]

All I could think whilst reading that is:-

Smile and wave boys, smile and wave!

Too bad Honda, buh bye now

[darwin dali]

I don't get it, while they'll be gutted not to have been part of what went on in Australia I'm sure any of the guys at Honda who worked to get that development done and who are into motor racing will be more than happy to see the results of their efforts. Is anyone really saying the guys at Honda didn't know what they had in that car?

Yup, that's what I'd be saying. Those muppets had no clue what treasure Ross had been building (or they simply dismissed any rumors about it as same old same old after many years of incompetence). Had they known, they would have hung onto the team rather then unloaded it, financial problems or not. Just imagine the value of this race win in terms of PR for Honda, but woulda, coulda... Besides, with a Honda engine rather than the Mercedes power plant in the back, they would have gone nowhere anyway, so the muppets COULDN'T have known that the car is that good!

[Jensonb]

You feel that Tokyo? That's what Jenson and Rubens felt when they drove the RA107.

Have a nice life.

[stonemonkey]

Besides, with a Honda engine rather than the Mercedes power plant in the back, they would have gone nowhere anyway

If Honda knew that, it was their engine after all and restricted on development, but they knew what the rest of the car was like what would their options be?


a) Shut down the team and waste all the effort put into it.
b) Stick with it and watch their car with the Honda badge trundle around the track for another season.
c) Put a customer engine in it and see a Honda car with a customer engine be a success.
d) Sell the team and force the buyer to put a custome engine in it.

[stonemonkey]

Another option could've been to sell the team and continue to supply engines.

As far as I'm concerned Honda made a huge sacrifice and did the whole team a massive favour to give them the best chance of seeing all the work they'd done become a success.

[darwin dali]

Besides, with a Honda engine rather than the Mercedes power plant in the back, they would have gone nowhere anyway

If Honda knew that, it was their engine after all and restricted on development, but they knew what the rest of the car was like what would their options be?


a) Shut down the team and waste all the effort put into it.
b) Stick with it and watch their car with the Honda badge trundle around the track for another season.
c) Put a customer engine in it and see a Honda car with a customer engine be a success.
d) Sell the team and force the buyer to put a custome engine in it.

I'm not saying they didn't do the 'right' thing in that situation. But hiring Ross and NOT putting engine development on high priority, especially once the FIA gave Renault a green light to catch up and make up for their lower engine performance, was simply dumb.

[stonemonkey]

I'm not saying they didn't do the 'right' thing in that situation. But hiring Ross and NOT putting engine development on high priority, especially once the FIA gave Renault a green light to catch up and make up for their lower engine performance, was simply dumb.

The green light to catch up on engine development doesn't mean total freedom, Ross Brawn made a statement in Australia that Honda had gone in totally the wrong direction. He didn't say in what areas but if that included the engine then it's possible they couldn't find a fix for it still keeping inside the relaxed regs.