F1 » Honda set to quit F1

That's sad news, but it just goes to show that in its present format, F1 is unsustainable, my bet is Honda won't be the last. The amount of money ploughed into F1 is obscene and out of all proportion to the gain for the fewer and fewer companies prepared to dip into their corporate pockets. Add into that mix, over-zealous rule enforcement,(cotton wool nose cones and speed cameras for 2010 anyone) questionable ethics and pure greed at the top (Bet that queue for countries wishing to fork out for the F1 'spectacle' is getting shorter all the time)and you don't have a good recipe for long-term success. F1 needs take a long, hard look at itself.

To much hype is given to the likes of Vetel etc for a couple of flash in the pan races where he really did not produce the qualifying lap time and the race pace to set himself up as a little schumi (german press LOL).

its going to be a really sad day if honda back out of F1 maybe bernie should stop taking so much out of the sport and get another governing body in to administer the rules as that is all the fia does. I am kind of hoping in my dreams that there is a breakaway series but i dont think there is anyone out there who is capable of running it especially the teams as they have enough on their plate racing the cars.

While Honda F1 has put up desperately poor results in the last 2 seasons it is heartbreaking to see them fold up shop. Hopefully they won't give Moto GP or ALMS the axe as well.

One has to wonder if the loss of the USGP and Canadian GP as well as the threat of a spec engine helped convince Honda that it's not worth it for them to continue in this economic climate. It's not hard to make the case that it's not worth tying up that much capital right now.

It's a shame Honda didn't live up to their potential but the next question is who else is going to bow out? I wouldn't be surprised if Renault, Toyota, and/or BMW are next.

Why would Toyota be next? Simply because they invested large sums? The difference is that Toyota saw significan success this year. So they're in a different situation than Honda. And once consumer spending picks up again, car makers will be in a better position. How long will it take to dismantle an F1 team, then when the economy recovers build one again from scratch?

G Irish i think they are bowing out of F1 because of max's engine plans honda have produced loads of winning engines

One also has to wonder if Bernie's greediness will end up sinking the ship. Bernie has taken GP's away from the core of F1's fanbase and sent them to a bunch of countries who are willing to shovel money into Bernie's pockets. By doing so he makes it a lot easier for the manufacturers to bail, after all they're not racing in front of some of their biggest markets. On top of that, with the prices Bernie's been charging fan attendance in even some of the best venues is going to be severely damaged. Just think, if Toyota leaves too the Japanese, Malaysian, Singapore, and Chinese GP's are all going to take a major hit.

One would think that the investors putting the money into the redevelopement of Donnington will start to ask themselves if there investment is sound.
BE is a very good marketing man but sadly for him what he is selling is reaching it's sell by date. F1 will always be around but it will be interesting to see how it developes over the next few years. If the FIA does not make changes with it in terms of people and there interferance in the sport I do not see them being part of it.
I agree with a comment above who will want to watch a race of just 16 cars, not many I think. This will affect the advertising revenue on the TV and it will eventually end up on the Dave channel.

"and it will eventually end up on the Dave channel.

Posted by adrem - Unregistered (2 minutes ago)"

Yeah like the snore fest that is modern WRC!

The Earth Dream is now a nightmare, when will Formula One bosses learn that F1 needs sponsors to protect it from a down turn in car sales. If Nick Fry was as good at finding sponsors as he has been at spending money on dumb ideas from very expensive advertising agencies he would still have a job... and a team. All the teams are happy to copy engineering ideas from each other, so why, oh why, don''t they copy the McLaren model when it comes to marketing and sponsorship acquisition? McLaren have kept some sponsors for over 25 years. If they do not spread the risk and the cost, they are living on the edge, yes even Red Bull. Does any other business in the world rely on one customer?

This may just be the first domino falling. It is hard to see how a manufacturer like Honda can justify spending untold millions on F1 when their car sales are in the toilet and they are idling factory workers. I dont believe that they will be the only ones to leave.If people aren't buying cars then they don't need to be spending money to get exposure in F1.They will probably stick with the IRL , no Max or Bernie over there and a Honda is always going to win !.