92RS shearn

They said due to the state of the auto industry they are pulling out.
I wonder if this will start a trend with the other automakers in other racing circuits?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/sp...ndprix.html?hp

1fastdog

IMO? Yes.

Only one manufacturer in F1 really benefits from participation "sales wise" and that's Ferrari. Technology wise? All the engine builders get something out of it.

If I were the big three, I'd get out of NASCAR as a group. Race what you build for the showroom.

99SilverSS

Wow that is very interesting and sad for F1 fans like me. The Honda Team has been floundering for the past two seasons but I guess I figured they would turn it around. They have pulled out before and come back.

The Japanese brands may still have a strong portfolio and cash on hand but they don't want to end up like the Detroit 3; although they have been there before and rec'd help.

I didn't know Audi was pulling out of the Le Mans racing series. But really there isn't anything left to win or prove for them. I could see GM and the Corvette team following suit.

seawolf06

I think pulling out of NASCAR would be a requirement if they get the bailout money.

Northwest94Z

I look forward to seeing Toyota follow Honda's lead. The biggest racing budget in F1 at a reported 600+ million annually and they are a mid pack team after years of trying to impress. What's this I keep hearing about Toyota being the best automotive manufacturer in the world. They should stick to building econoboxes it's the one market segment they can compete in.

One rumor is that Porsche may be interested in buying up what is left of Honda. Didn't see that one coming.

Robert_Nashville

Like Detroit iron has done so much better in F1???

So...anybody who doesn't win nearly 100% of the time shouldn't bother?

If everyone almost always knew who/what manufacturer was going to win what would be the point of "racing"...it would really be nothing more than a parade.

Competition is the life-blood of most worthwhile things; including the automotive business and automobile racing; "mid pack" teams are at least as important to racing as the winners.

soul strife

If the big three get out of NASCAR I hope we do a Super V8 type racing in the future. I love watch that stuff from Oz.

99SilverSS

Robert your bias is showing again. Where in his response did he mention Detroit iron and F1?

The facts show that Toyota spends a lot in F1 and hasn't gotten the results even they conservatively wanted yet. Their ROI in NASCAR is almost not even comparable.

Eric Bryant

F1 racing is just plain silly - it's expensive, but the rulebook is written in such a way as to minimize the amount of learning that can be applied to production cars.

If teams are going to blow $100M+ each year, I'd rather that they spend it on non-metallic engine components, forced induction, active aerodynamics, active suspension, and torque vectoring. As it stands now, all that money creates an amazingly ugly carbon-fiber go-cart that are actually less advanced than the cars in the parking lot in many aspects.

In short - kudos to Honda. Hopefully they can invest their motorsports dollars in a way that yields better production cars.

shock6906

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that. F1 cars have gotten uglier and uglier seemingly each passing year.

SSbaby

Manufacturers come and go in F1 depending on their corporate mood/financial state at the time. One thing is for certain, F1 is a lot of dough to fork out for a manufacturer... and that's even before the first race is run.

IMO, Honda, have shown tact and left the circus at the right time - while the automotive world is in a recession. They will probably return at a later date... as history has shown.

I wouldn't blame Toyota if they, too, choose to abandon F1. They've done OK as far as results go, so it wouldn't be seen as a failure on their part if they bowed out now. At least the next time Toyota will have the necessary experience to relaunch at a later time. All is not lost.

jg95z28

Honda is using the current state of the auto industry as an excuse. They haven't been competitive for some time and if it wasn't for Force India, would be at the bottom of F1. With the new engine requirements for 2009, they were going to have to invest a lot of money in improving their car, and possible hire a new driver (although I saw now problem with continuing with Barrichello). That said, things didn't look too rosy for Honda's 2009 season in F1 anyway and thus saving over $100M that would've basically been thrown at the Honda F1 team, they look good to the bean-counters.

However, I have heard no mention of Honda moving out of other racing series. Keep in mind they are the engine supplier to Indycar as well as several other series. If Honda pulls out there as well, then I'll start believing the excuse that the state of the industry has forced this. Otherwise, I'll keep believing it was because their cars sucked in F1.

SSbaby

Eric, where have you been this century? If a team only spends $100M in F1 these days it's only to pay some of the top line drivers. Some of the top teams are spending upwards of $300M a year.

And I agree with you, it's a total waste of money and not a great spectacle anymore... certainly not like it once was.

jg95z28

Toyota has already said they are cutting back on testing of their 2009 package. I wouldn't be surprised to see them drop out either, however they showed improvement towards the end of last season and they have one of the top young drivers in Timo Glock. Toyota F1 is in less of a bind than Honda is, so they just may hold out and try to ride through this economic downturn.

F1 may not be big here in the US, but it is huge everywhere else.

Northwest94Z

I don't recall suggesting that Detroit has done better or worse for that matter compared to Toyota in F1. You just brought that up. You are the one changing the topic. My point was simple: Toyota has achieved next to nothing in F1 despite the size of the bat they swing and aren't doing themselves any favors by remaining there after nearly a decade of striking out. BTW Ford has had more success in F1 than Toyota ever has but who's keeping score....oh, apparently you are.

Who said that that everyone almost always knows who or what is going to win in F1? Who said that by Honda pulling out that was going to happen? Who said "mid pack" teams aren't important?

Why do you keep coming to this site and beating your chest constantly? Are you compensating for something at home? Now I'm speculating pretty stupid right?

Honda for all there engineering and automotive prowess, and Toyota to a larger extent are a joke in the world of F1. Just like your beloved GT-R is in the world of credible supercars. Yes I just changed the topic to include the turd you feel compelled to get in bed with every single day I come to this GM, specifically Camaro centric web site.

Now if you would like to address the ramifications of Honda pulling out of F1 without putting words in my mouth or jumping to speculative conclusions your welcome to.