From SpeedTV: Briatore's first association with Renault came when he bought the Ligier team in 1994. Now Flavio Briatore could buy Renault's Formula One team and continue to run it in 2010 and beyond, according to media reports. The reports, in Italy's Autosprint and also carried by the Dutch publication Formule 1 Race Report, tie in with persistent rumours that the French carmaker is contemplating pulling out of the sport at the end of this season. It is suggested that, amid the slump in new car sales, three seasons of average race results, the expiring contract of title sponsor ING, and the likely departure of Fernando Alonso, Renault - already threatening to quit over the Max Mosley rules dispute - is set to decide the time is right to step out. The specialist magazine Autosprint said Renault, who currently also supply customer V8s to Red Bull Racing, may continue to supply engines. Romain Grosjean, Renault's high profile reserve driver, is mentioned as a likely driver for a Briatore-branded entrant.
THIS is the only piece of info in that press release I really care about. Sorry Renault and Briatore. Benvenuti alla Scuderia, Fernando!
Unfortunately! Imagine Nissan owned Renault, then they would be able to compete with the GTR. If certain forums are to be believed, it would CRUSH every single F1 car on the track!
I'm a big fan of the GTR but it ain't a F1 car. Are those forums run by teenage boys? You know "the fast and bicurious"...
HERESY!!!!! The GTR is faster than ANYTHING on earth!! I can prove it on my Playstation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111 (no need for teenager forums. Ever looked in "General Automotive Discussion" right here? )
LOL. The GTR is faster than many things and I actually like it beating much more expensive cars on real life tracks. But let's be realistic. No and I will never go there. No need. If it ain't Ferrari, I don't care. Yup, I said that.
I agree, it's a nice car (not aesthetically, though), and its performance is amazing. However, Nissan boasting about Nürburgring times that no one can reproduce and the crowd of fanboys of the worst kind they have gathered really doesn't do any good. (Sorry for OT )
We could be entering a new age of privateer teams. If that's the case, it's a good thing. I personally liked teams like Minardi, Jordon, Super Aguri, Benneton, and now Brawn. You know what they were going through and you routed them on for any success. They used innovation and took risks --like signing unknown drivers-- to try to make up the difference. Perhaps the beauracracy of an organization as big as Toyota is one of the reasons they have been let down. I for one thought they would be a major player within 3 years of their entry. For all the money spent, the results were never there. There has to be a reason that all that talent was wasted. A privateer team, running on a minimal budget may be more effective in properly investing time, money and talent than a big organization with a bottomless pit of resources. The next big cut is going to be driver salary. You can't have a program where you're entire season is 100M but you're paying 40M just for one driver. There are too many good young drivers out there. Yes, experience counts but for some middle pack drivers who drive years and years on fat salaries with little results, don't be surprised of some of them find their seats threatened by more young guns, especially with the privateers. A little guy named Schumacher started that way (Jordan), as did Ayrton Senna (Tolemen) and Alonso (Minardi). Getting the big buck manufacturers out may improve the sport and usher in new talent rather than bring it down. It's about the racing-- not how much you spend to do it.
Interesting. Car&Driver did a wide comparison in its November 08 edition. They went to the Virginia International Raceway, which is about as close to the Nordschleife as you'll ever get on the American continent. The GT-R was 2nd best in its class (beaten only by a Dodge Viper SRT10) and 4th overall (beaten also by a Mosler racecar and a 430 Scuderia).
+1. I liked the minnows too and if memory serves, I'll prepare to buy team souvenirs early. In F1, here today, gone later today. Who are the new teams ? Everyday someone new pops up; Campos, USF1, Isport, Epsilon Euskadi, ProDrive, Lola, March, Litespeed and Nick Wirth have all ordered Cosworths ? Are new teams allowed in past the deadline? Shame there's no Lotus or Brabham mentioned, I miss those two...
5 new teams: Campos Lola USGPE Litespeed Prodrive That's already 30 cars. Qualifying will be really interesting next year.
I think the interesting part will come from trying to figure out how many blocking infractions will be submitted during each quali. However, at least one aspect of quali will be more predictible next year than this year.....grid positions 21-30 will be a lock.
FYI: Signed on 27 March 1999, the RenaultNissan Alliance is the first of its kind involving a Japanese and a French company, each with its own distinct corporate culture and brand identity, linked through cross-shareholding. Renault has a stake of 44.4 percent in the Japanese automaker Nissan, while Nissan in turn has a 15 percent stake (non-voting) in Renault.
Thats pretty cool. Litespeed are actually still looking for people to work for them, if anyone's interested. I send an application but didn't hear anything back, so they won't get my support.
With all these new teams and the way F1 seems to be heading, I'd be surprised if it didn't become more interesting to the spectators. But at the same time, in terms of prestige and status, F1 has seen its best days. In a few years, it will be just a Sand Prix series not unlike CART/IRL/Indycar or whatever has become of that ugly mess. And I could care less. Hopefully there will still be Le Mans.
When we had the pre qualifying days in the late eighties, F1 was a total hoot. 30 teams next year will make the game a lot more interesting. Also a good chance that some rookie in a back marker car will make a really dumb mistake take one of the front runners out. Should be fun. Oh here we go again, another doomsday prophet. How many times since 1950 has F1 been declared dead and having its glory days behind it? After they switched to mid engine cars, after they made Cossies ubiqutous, after they allowed sponsors in, after they allowed cars with skirts, after they banned the skirts, after they allowed turbos in, after they prohibited turbos, after they allowed electronic aids in, after they banned them, after they took the slicks away, after they reduced the formula to V10, after they reduced the formula to V8, after they reduced the engine size further.... Point is, F1 will always be the fastest series around a road course and therefore be the king of motorsports. Le Mans cars will never be as fast as F1 cars, the FIA will make sure of that through regulations. And F1 will remain the most watched sport show on the planet.
I agree completely with you Andreas. Assuming there really is a comprimise (http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245104). The comments about FOTA's 2010 entry conditions have me concerned again.
