27/03 Australia
10/04 Malaysia
17/04 China
08/05 Turkey
22/05 Spain
29/05 Monaco
12/06 Canada
26/06 Europe
10/07 Britain
24/07 Germany
31/07 Hungary
28/08 Belgium
11/09 Italy
25/09 Singapore
09/10 Japan
16/10 Korea
30/10 India
13/11 Abu Dhabi
27/11 Brazil
2010 Archive
Red Bull
McLaren
Ferrari
Mercedes
Renault
Williams
Force India
Sauber
Toro Rosso
Lotus
HRT
Virgin
2010 Archive
Following the departure of Honda, BMW, Bridgestone, Toyota and more sponsors than you could crash a Renault at, F1 has today announced that it is to withdraw from itself. F1 said today that you could pick any one of the… rubbish excuses given by the others (it’s the recession, we have achieved all we can, we are concentrating on our core business, we are being more green, we could not beat Douglas Bader in a one-legged race etc) but that the decision was final.
Following the excitement surrounding the Brawn GP title double at Interlagos on Sunday, spare a thought for poor old Honda, who during 2009 alone, have seen $400 million worth of F1 cash slip through their fingers.
Firstly they decide to bail… out of F1 and give the team to Ross Brawn, gratis, along with $100 million to sort out redundancies and to pay off contracts. Other expenses involved in closing down the operation at such short notice are reckoned to be in the region of $50 million.
Now, just to cheer up Honda even further, media analysts, Margaux Matrix, say that the nine hours of TV coverage that F1 has provided Brawn with this year, is worth at least another $250 million.
Nice one Honda, nice one…
Nick Heidfeld naturally has an expression that looks similar to a child who has just had his lolly stolen, but it would now appear that the German has every reason to feel down in the dumps. In an interview ahead… of the German Grand Prix with with the Suddeutscher Zeitung newspaper, Nick reveals how he came close to signing for Honda last year which probably would have meant he would now be sat behind the wheel of the all conquering Brawn BGP001 rather than the truck of a BMW he is currently lumbered with.
Said a glum Heidfeld; “Of course I think from time to time what would have happened, especially now I see them winning race after race”
Apparently, according to a source close to the driver, he can sometimes go whole minutes without thinking about what might have been.
In these difficult times, you can get a pretty good deal when buying a new car, for example just £15,000 will get you a fully kitted out Honda Civic type S – which isn’t bad for a sporty little number that should last you forever.
However if… you are after a Japanese number to race around supermarket car parks after dark, then why not spend your fifteen grand on something a little different – maybe an ex-Jacques Villeneuve BAR Honda?
The car, on sale via auction on the 25th of July, was raced by Villeneuve in 2001 before Olivier Panis took it on and it comes with a full service history and 12 months MOT. Unusually for Honda F1 cars it was a moderately quick, reliable little runner.
Sadly, with the car being at the top end of insurance group 20, the forecourt price of £15,000 will pale into insignificance when the broker gives you his quote…
RSS Subscribe | Trackback