TOYOTA: May Not Run F1 In 2010?

Wouldn't be surprised if they left but would be VERY disappointed. Love to see them back at LeMans and would love to see another series such as the IMSA GTP rise again here stateside. They do have unfinished business at LeMans though. They should have won it several times, but were screwed by the rules makers once and then had terrible luck another time (blown tire in the closing stages).

 

Brawn will buy them and turn them into the 2010 WCC and WDC..

 

Can't see Toyota or Ferrari in Sportscars where theres already a two tier structure. Diesel v petrol is a mugs game for either of them with the ACO supporting Peugeot as a diesel.
Its ok for Audi but not petrol runners.

 

Todt GP?

 

Nicolas Todt / ART Grand Prix is willing to consider F1 if it had a good partner

 

There seems to be a growing disconnect supporting reasons for a team to be in F1 these days. The sport has become a farce with restrictive technology that's hard for a fan to relate to, too expensive and increasingly harder to justify for manufacturers' that are watching expenditures. BE and co. are going to have an increasingly hard time holding things together and it'll be interesting to see what happens. F1's future seems to be where the excitement is at these days.

 

At least someone within the sport finally said it

"But we are becoming increasingly concerned about whether common sense does exist."

 

The ironic fact here is, the budget cap is meant to increase the number of teams capable of entering F1, and it's doing the opposite!!
Plus now it's going to cause alot of problems 2 tier BS!!ect .. how hard can it be to use stepped budget cap starting at agreed amount by all the teams, and not one imposed by a loose cannon dictator "sighs" bangs head on wall.

 

Red Bull may not show up for 2010, either.

http://www.crash.net/formula+one/news/146636/1/red_bull_cost_cap_would_cost_f1_up_to_eight_teams.html

 

i wonder where vettel and webber would go if red bull doesn't show up next year..

 

I hope this does come to a showdown in F1 and I hope the teams win.

It is absurd that they want to make this 2-tier series. All of this talk about these new teams... Lola, ProDrive, Aston, Suzuki, USF1, *all* of that is just BS and bluffery by Bernie to make the teams think that if they don't re-sign into F1, that there are multiple others waiting to take their spot.

The teams will only know that this is not the case through a united front via FOTA. That is why Bernie and Max want to break up FOTA so badly. The teams should have formed FOTA years ago, but it took this long.

It is rumored that the teams may not re-sign on 5/29 en-masse. It's no surprise that news of new teams is coming out faster and faster the closer that 5/29 gets, and it's equally no surprise that Bernie and Max have been driving the wedge ever deeper and ever harder, the closer that date gets.

I hope Bernie lays down the law and tells them he will exlude anyone who doesn't sign by 5/29. And I hope none of them sign.

They really need to stick together and enforce their rights and standing within F1 and stop letting themselves be made the FIA's and Bernie's whipping boy.

 

+1 Couldn't agree more. Also bare in mind, that with UBS and ING gone where are the sponsors for the existing teams, let alone for the future so called prospective teams. I still can't believe the Brawn has not shown up with a major Sponsor considering they have now won 4 out of 5 races.

 

+1 Trouble is, they can't agree what color they sky is let alone what the regulations should be..... OTOH, this "two tier" nonsense *may* just be the straw that pisses 'em off so badly they will stand united - I do hope so.

Why? What's the rush? They've obviously got the $ to stay ahead of the field and I guess their price just keeps increasing..... Sir Richard has got to be one happy camper right now.... migfx is a Swiss "foreign exchange dealer" (?) and I bet their little logos are costing 'em way more than the Virgin stuff.

What a great position to be in!

Cheers,
Ian

 

Correct, Mike is bang on.

Whip lash has to go no question.

 

I dont usually bother as i tend to agree with most things you say but that one certainly deserves a +1

 

Honda couldn't find any meaningful sponsors for two years. If HONDA can't do it, then BrawnGP is going to have a tough go of it unless they win the WCC/WDC then $$$ for them.

 

Well if you recall, Honda had the whole "My Earth Dream Thing Going" and didn't want to have any sponsors ruin the look of their cars, but I think you do have a point that getting Sponsors is going to get tougher and tougher going forward.

 

I think that Earth Dreams thing served the purpose of covering up the fact they had no sponsors.

 

If they were still tooling around at the back like their ancestor did last year, I'd agree.

However, everyone loves a winner and even in dire times I'm sure there are "companies" (and ego's) out there who are doing well and *drooling* over the possibility of putting their name on the Brawny's.......

As I said, Sir Richard once again exhibits the midas touch - No wonder the dude never stops smiling! He's even on record as saying he's got no problem with stepping down if someone comes in with the big $.....

Cheers,
Ian

 

Oh man! One final blow to Honda's nutz would be Mercedes putting their logo on the side of Brawn's cars.

 

I would love to see that!

 

well said

 

+1

Got me thinking though - IIRC, there are no Merc logos either on the cars or the guys, correct?

Windsor introduces 'em as "BrawnGP" not "Brawn-Mercedes" (?)

 

I don't remember the Red Bulls, Toro Rossos and Force Indias having their engine suppliers' logos on their cars either. Could be wrong though, I've never really thought about it.