Much as I hate to say it, but Max Mosley was right all those years ago when he said you can’t depend on the major car manufacturers when it comes to the long haul in F1.
Toyota’s decision to quit after a lamentable record of under-achievement comes as absolutely no surprise to me at all, although I must say that I will remember the team fondly for having introduced Kamui Kobayashi into F1 as the very best Japanese driver I have ever seen.
Toyota’s departure will at least clear the way for Sauber to re-enter F1 as an independent team next season, but I fancy the Japanese car maker’s board may find itself fielding a legal action from both the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Management organisation.
Having signed the new Concorde Agreement earlier this year, Toyota was technically committed to competing in the FIA world championship until the end of 2012. So how will all that be sorted out?
Worrying times for F1, I fancy. Granted the cost cutting initiatives have tempted some new lower-budget teams to throw their hats into the ring next season, and very welcome they will be.
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sco1
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
Mossley made sure that there are no manufacturers left. Manufacturers were always a part and parcel of F1 as not a single team, other than Ferrari, produced its own engine. There would have been no Formula 1 all those years without them. So Mosley's remarks were (intentionally???) offensive to the manufacturers. The golden eras of Maclaren, Williams, Benetton etc came at the back of a manufacturer works engines. At that time, manufacturers could get value for money as they could push the technological envelope (e.g. Renault with their V10, Honda with V-Tec technology to name a few) and justified the expense of F1 involvement on proper R & D, not on marketing terms. They hoped that by becoming full blown teams, they could expand their reasearch and development into all areas of car engineering. Active suspensions, traction control and clever gearboxes to name but a few came from F1 before Mosley started meddling with the sport and ruined it. Manufacturers were keen to invest, research and develop. Fast forward to 2009. Stanardised engines, development freezing and how un-F1, suggestions to tune BACK the Mercedes engine as it is too good!!! I am so surprised that Mercedes has not pulled out yet! With development work severly curtailed and so many standardised components, including engines, there is little real reasearch and development going on or scope for innovation. So what is left? Marketting/ Promotion. And is that any good? With no US races, European races under threat, and the FIA villifying the manufucturers, no wonder they are leaving in droves. Why pay all those millions? If the manufacturers withdrwaw, then we will end up with a single series championship. All running the same standardised (Cossworth or whever wins the tender next) engines, same standardised tyres (again with tender, no competition, i.e. no development) etc. with Ferrari the only team having its own engine, which they cannot develop to compete with the standardised one. It is a nightmarish scenario for F1, and its happening now, because of the FIA. The eceonomic downturn is just a pretext. If F1 was value for money (in terms of research & development and marketing), not a single manufacturers would have left. A budget of 100 million is not particularly big amount for the manufacturerers. FIA had no qualms slapping it on Maclaren as a fine......
optimal_909
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
On Bloomberg.com, I've found the following:
"Ferrari Says Formula 1 Rulers to Blame for Exodus of Carmakers
“The reality is that this gradual defection from the F-1 fold has more to do with a war waged against the major car manufacturers by those who managed Formula 1 over the past few years, than the result of any economic crisis,” Ferrari, the sport’s oldest team, said in a statement on its Web site...Comparing the loss of some of the sport’s “major players” to the plot of “Ten Little Indians,” the 1930s crime novel by British writer Agatha Christie, Ferrari said that Formula One’s reality was more serious....“In Christie’s work of fiction, the guilty party was only uncovered when all the other characters died, one after the other,” Ferrari added. “Do we want to wait for this to happen or do we want to pen a different ending to the book on Formula One?”".
Fred Dagg
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
Peter Nunn,
Arrows and Footwork were the same team, bought up by Tom Walkinshaw who ran them into bankruptcy, Minardi are now Toro Rosso and going quite well, Ligier became Prost who went the same way as Walkinshaw, Tyrrell sold up to BAR who went on to become Honda and now Brawn and March fizzled out after several years of underperforming.
Just thought I would point that out.
theop
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
Corporate culture is a funny microcosm of human nature isn't it?
Corporations are like most investors. They are followers not leaders. When the markets go up and have been going up most people decide to invest. They thus buy on the up and sell during the fall. Wrong.
Corps do the same thing... On the F1 issue, they now pull out after the storm. When they will decide to reenter 5 years down the line things will be much dearer.
I am glad at least that Bernie is making money - smart cookie that man. Hate saying it, but he deserves every single penny of his billions.
matt007
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
Why don't these manufactures just move away from F1 and move into the WRC, sportcar or touring car championships. With all the arguements about rules and regualtions in F1 to be honest its become a bit pointless and not much fun for the motorsport fan like me and you. Why not watch or compete in a championship were the racing is more fun and more relevant to the every day man??????
Canuck1
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
Shouldn't this read "uncompetitive car manufacturers can't cut it in F1"?
At the end of the day it's only a sport and the car manufacturers have lots of other things to worry about as well these days, and other things they can spend their money on - F1 is an investment like any other, and if you don't see a good enough return you move onto something else that may be more profitable.
beachland2
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
"Overall I think Toyota have done the right thing. They may have had more success over the years if they had spent less on big name drivers and got a few more hungry for success drivers on board. Trulli may occasionally be brilliant on a good day but they are very few and far between and as for Ralf - all the arrogance of Michael but not the ability to match it."
Nak, Toyota at the end were criticised for spending millions but in the wrong places, they didnt spend the money on big name drivers, it has been said they could have achieved success if they spent their money on the likes of Alonso, Raikonen etc, they needed world champions in their cars.
dobbie100
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
Problem is that a manufacturer wants instant success and nothing else. They are not in it for the 'sport'. They hoover up a privateer team [Honda/BAR - Tyrrel , Renualt - beneton ( which was Toleman before that, BMW - Suaber). but when they decide they've had enough and leave its unlikely anything will be left to carry on .
Notiron
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
How does the Concorde Agreement work? If a new team comes into F1 to replace Toyota, say, then do they get Toyota's share of the TV rights money?
brinardi
re: Car manufacturers can't cut it in F1
Agree with MattDB that a sale to create an all-German outfit would help Toyota guarantee the team's continued participation as per the Concorde Agreement - maybe Daimler-Benz should buy it to create a new Silver Arrows team and who better to install as team boss than Mario Theissen who may not fancy running a private, budget-constrained Sauber team or devoting his future to touring cars...
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