This issue affects all of F1 - the future is not sorted at al..... https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/148405/electric-road-car-shift-complicating-honda-f1-future Honda is talking to Red Bull about extending its Formula 1 future beyond 2021, but its situation is complicated by financial pressure on its road car company due to electrification. Regulatory clampdowns on the number and type of petrol and diesel cars they can sell are changing the business conditions global car manufacturers are facing. Legislation is forcing them to shift towards electric vehicles, where the investment required is far greater and profit margins are much smaller. The situation is further complicated by governments worldwide trying to outlaw the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid engines cars by 2040 at the latest. Honda is currently only committed to F1 until the end of next year, after it extended its contract with Red Bull and AlphaTauri by a single season. It admitted the main issue surrounding its future is not the results it achieves in F1, but how wider issues for the global car market affect its finances. "We are speaking to Red Bull about the continuation after 2021," Honda's F1 managing director Masashi Yamamoto told Autosport. "But the other thing we have to consider is the whole car industry is facing a very difficult situation because of electrification. "Many companies have to invest a lot, so we have to kind of think about the business side and how efficient we can run the programme. That's the point." Yamamoto's comments about the impact of regulatory restrictions come weeks after Renault non-executive board member Alain Prost voiced fears about government restrictions on what road car companies could do. "We even don't know what technology we are going to have in the next 10 years in the automobile industry," he said. "There's a lot of stupid regulation going on. We're going to kill the automobile industry in Europe. "It is absolutely stupid." Image Unavailable, Please Login While the enforced move to electric cars could make Formula E more attractive for manufacturers like Honda in the short term, Yamamoto said F1 remained Honda's priority. "Obviously we are interested [in FE] and we are continuing and collecting the information," he said. "But at the moment we just focus on F1 and we don't have any plan to participate in Formula E. "We have to focus on F1."
Well done idiots for listening to children such as Greta Thunberg. The European automotive industry employs a VAST workforce directly, and even larger indirectly. Electric cars all lose money. Pretty soon none will want to make cars as, well, there's no money in it. But lets forget all that and listen to crying children who can ''see carbon dioxides'', and who are definitely not puppets. How to tax air.
Was driving past UCLA today...all the sidewalks were filled with pay as you go electric scooters and bikes. And the same is happening all over Los Angeles. Car ownership (except for used and classic cars) will be completely dead in 5 years. People will either use pay as you go, or longer term rental of whatever vehicle they need, when they need it. And used cars will be dead within a couple of years of that. Owning a car will be as obsolete as the ICE. That said, there will be no marketing reason for any car manufacturer to support any ICE racing...which means we could well see F1 come to an end with the end of this season and the majority of the engine manufacturers dropping out and walking away. And the demographics in the world shows it isn't just here in the US. Honda is just saying out loud what all the car makers know deep down inside. Its over.
Over. As we see it now. E-transport will involve production vehicles. The question is sport with vehicles. A convergence of Formula 1 and E maybe...............
https://www.planetf1.com/news/helmut-marko-alex-albon-culprit/ Hope for Albon or is he soon All-gone Albon?
Will get interesting that, soon. Problem is who do they replace him with? Gasly again? Why? He did worse in races than Albon. I like Kvyat but don't see that going anywhere...I can see him leaving at the end of the season, sadly. Tsunoda likely to take that seat. If Tsunoda isn't yet ready...Albon back to STR and Hulk for a season in RBR whilst they re-evaluate their STR kids?
If F1 ceases to exist I seriously doubt a large amount of F1 fans will flock to the (hypothetical only) alternative that is Formula E. But you are right that in a few years time when, with enough pressure, car manufacturers will stop pumping money into what F1 is, unless it would be electric, which it can't be because Formula E owns the rights and we would have all the fans leave. Zero reason for these engines or a more attractive alternative engine (V12 3 liter anyone?) development by them. F1 will either die and a new F1 with a more old school nature will rise from the ashes (not terribly difficult to do), or F1 manages to rescue itself and stop pandering to manufacturers so much and start thinking about their future and fanbase.
Since Vettel arrived in 2009, Red Bull Racing picked all its drivers from STR: Ricciardo, Kvyat, Verstappen, Gasly and Albon came from the B team. Recruiting from outside would make a mockery of the "RB school of talents" in the junior series (F3, F2, etc...) which is supposed to groom the stars of tomorrow for Red Bull. But it would also by-pass and undermine Helmut Marko's position as the talent spotter for the organisation. For these reasons, I think Hulkenberg is a non-starter at Red Bull.
Many years now and those others are not doing so well but Max and Ricci. I know it takes time. Max n Ricci just need that 'car' and they will win.
I disagree with Horner. I think Gasly is equal to Albon! https://www.planetf1.com/news/christian-horner-alex-albon-racecraft/
Of course he has to say that. But Albon is consistently worse in qualifying and maybe slightly better in racing, but the overall points for RB are about the same...
re Alpha Tauri Did I read that right that Danil Kvyat would be dumped to make room for Japanese Tsunoda at Alpha Tauri next year ? That would be a ploy by Red Bull to convince Honda to stay beyond 2021. Tsunoda is in F2 at the moment, and F1 fans in Japan are eager to have one of their nationals in the top category. If Honda was leaving F1, Tsunoda would follow leaving no Japanese driver in F1, and causing a backlash in public opinion in Japan apparently.
Successful ONCE--but if the "plan" was inherently successful, then you would have more MAXs and fewer Kvyats.
Not many Max's about, and other teams (Ferrari, Mclaren, Mercedes) have their own programmes. They can't all belong to Red Bull.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/jacques-villeneuve-alex-albon-criticism/ Jacques Villeneuve has added his voice to the growing criticism of Alex Albon by hinting Max Verstappen is taking on Mercedes single-handedly for Red Bull. Albon has struggled this year to be an effective team-mate for Verstappen, with only one podium finish at the Tuscan Grand Prix and he is generally off the Dutchman’s pace in qualifying especially. The Eifel Grand Prix most recently was a particularly bad one for the London-born Thai driver, who performed raggedly in the race from the first few corners and eventually had to retire with a punctured radiator just as he was about to serve a five-second penalty for clipping off Daniil Kvyat’s front wing during an overtaking move. Villeneuve has compared Red Bull’s situation to the contrasting scenario at Mercedes, where Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have combined to put the World Champions close to collecting a seventh straight constructors’ title already, being 180 points ahead of Red Bull. “Mercedes have the advantage of having two drivers who are more equal to each other,” said the Canadian, the 1997 World Champion, quoted by GP Blog. “That’s why they can make the car better. A top team needs two really good drivers.”
Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko has announced that there will be one more upgrade for the RB16 this season. This is in contrast to Mercedes, which will not make any more upgrades to the W11 in 2020. 2021 car a B-version "Next year's car is not very different from this year's. We will continue to develop because in 2021 we will be able to take over a large part of it," Marko said in conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport. In terms of aerodynamics, a lot can still be done, with three exceptions. In the area of the underside at the side edge and in front of the rear wheels, the rear brake valves and the central part of the diffuser cannot be touched due to cutbacks. The FIA expects a downforce loss of ten percent. Red Bull is therefore still working hard on the 2020 car to have everything ready for next year.
