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Oli

Honda Rescued!

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Im pretty sure they'll be on the grid in 2009 as per normal. (just with less morale, lower expectations and probably a better car).

It must of been embarassing for Honda to put their team up for sale after hyping up the themselves for 2009 due to rule changes after 2 terrible seasons. Getting Ross Brawn onboard, then deciding to sell the team, then realising no one wanted to buy the team. Then after, realising that closing down the team would effectively cost more than running the team another season.

They just look like complete idiots over there in Japan and across the globe.

Simple solution. Use TV money, Senna's money and other forms of income (sponsors and shareholders etc) and then Honda just spend less of their own money. Either way Honda lose money but if they just stuck with it and competed, they could make less of a loss and maybe even make a profit/win a few races?

How not to run an F1 team...

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I know it's a touch unfair, but I liked this:

Excellent :lol:

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Im pretty sure they'll be on the grid in 2009 as per normal. (just with less morale, lower expectations and probably a better car).

It must of been embarassing for Honda to put their team up for sale after hyping up the themselves for 2009 due to rule changes after 2 terrible seasons. Getting Ross Brawn onboard, then deciding to sell the team, then realising no one wanted to buy the team. Then after, realising that closing down the team would effectively cost more than running the team another season.

They just look like complete idiots over there in Japan and across the globe.

Simple solution. Use TV money, Senna's money and other forms of income (sponsors and shareholders etc) and then Honda just spend less of their own money. Either way Honda lose money but if they just stuck with it and competed, they could make less of a loss and maybe even make a profit/win a few races?

How not to run an F1 team...

I totally agree.

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It's also OK to have a theme you like to discuss the most above any others. Here are some common subjects for some members:

DOF: Drivers aids, technology bans, pre historic F1

Graham (Murray Walker): Spec Cars, winding me up.

Ben (Jenson Rules): Girls Aloud, getting drunk.

Maure: Lewisterics. Their habitat and mating habits.

Piotr: Kubica

Kati: Piotr

Paul, Chris, George and myself. Mostly semen jokes.

So scarily accurate that a little bit of p1ss came out of me and soiled my Y-fronts.

Im pretty sure they'll be on the grid in 2009 as per normal. (just with less morale, lower expectations and probably a better car).

It must of been embarassing for Honda to put their team up for sale after hyping up the themselves for 2009 due to rule changes after 2 terrible seasons. Getting Ross Brawn onboard, then deciding to sell the team, then realising no one wanted to buy the team. Then after, realising that closing down the team would effectively cost more than running the team another season.

They just look like complete idiots over there in Japan and across the globe.

Simple solution. Use TV money, Senna's money and other forms of income (sponsors and shareholders etc) and then Honda just spend less of their own money. Either way Honda lose money but if they just stuck with it and competed, they could make less of a loss and maybe even make a profit/win a few races?

How not to run an F1 team...

Good post.

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Various reports from the British media this morning:

Staff at Honda's Brackley headquarters have been told to prepare for imminent winter tests in Spain and subsequently the beginning of the 2009 season in Australia.

"Everything's positive - it's all going ahead. Contracts are agreed and signed. It's with the lawyers," an unnamed source at the team told BBC Sport.

It is almost certain that the last hope for Honda is the management buyout led by Ross Brawn, whose prospects seem to have taken a step forward since rumours emerged that Nick Fry might no longer be involved.

"We're carrying on as if we're going to Melbourne," the source continued.

A report in the Daily Mirror, meanwhile, said Honda's Tokyo board - already publicly unhappy with the seriousness of bids by third parties - has accepted the management buyout.

It is understood the 2009 car has been adapted to fit the Mercedes-Benz V8 engine, with only the green light now required to unlock a schedule of at least one test in Spain, and possibly a prior shakedown in the UK.

"There's no way we'd go to any test without an engine deal," the source explained. "If we're going to Jerez, it means it's a done deal."

In Barcelona this week for the inaugural Global Sports Forum, the Honda team's marketing boss David Butler told the Spanish newspaper Diario AS: "There is no news but we are working towards a positive resolution, and in this sense I think we can be fairly optimistic."

He also expressed frustration about the speculation surrounding the sale of the departing Honda Motor Co.'s team, noting that "there are many billionaires making comments in the media.

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The acid test for the Brackley mob now must be their appearance or non-appearance at Jerez. I know for a fact that the BBC would never publish a story based on one source. They never engage in speculative reporting and they must be extremely confident that the information they have is genuine. If the team do go forward into the new season I am not sure we will ever now just what the hell was going on this winter. I believe Honda will remain a clandestine partner for the foreseeable future though I am sure Brawn can just about make ends meet if he is frugal with the cash he has. In that respect, it is probably also vital that he retains Senna. Any connection with a Carlos Slim company must be good news. Virgin would certainly enhance F1's kudos and probably plan to enter the fray, once their agenda of 'green' criteria are met. Unfortunately, that's probably five years away and will Bernie still hold the power then? I very much doubt it. Will Honda re-emerge as the lean, green team bedecked in Virgin livery in 2013? I wouldn't bet against it.

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UPDATE

Quote from an article on Reuters today:

The former Honda Formula One team are planning to attend a pre-season test in a clear sign that they will be saved from the scrapheap.

An informed source, who did not want to be named, told Reuters on Thursday that plans were in place for a shakedown of the new car, expected to be powered by a Mercedes engine, at Silverstone next week.

The team could then join other Formula One teams for an official test at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya later in March.

Seems we may be skipping Jerez but the BBC said...... I understand the reason all this news is coming out piecemeal and c#ck-eyed is because the workforce are close to rioting. These snippets are being released in an effort to keep the details of the team's plans under raps while many staff are threatening to leave if Honda do not confirm publicly what Brawn has been telling them.

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As a person who does not give a crap anymore about Honduh's destiny, I am with you, though.

1) Insightful posts are always welcome , so yours are welcome. Whether some of us care or not about the matter at hand is entirely irrelevant. That's what forums are for.

2) There is no oligarchy here. "Older" members vs "newer" members is stupid. Number of posts mean nothing. I have a high post count, yet 90% of my posts are either stupid jests or fanatic rants againts Lewis.

It's also OK to have a theme you like to discuss the most above any others. Here are some common subjects for some members:

DOF: Drivers aids, technology bans, pre historic F1

Graham (Murray Walker): Spec Cars, winding me up.

Ben (Jenson Rules): Girls Aloud, getting drunk.

Maure: Lewisterics. Their habitat and mating habits.

Piotr: Kubica

Kati: Piotr

Paul, Chris, George and myself. Mostly semen jokes.

Mostly??? :eusa_think::lol:

That's easy - it was Pabloh's :D

I wouldn't set my sights so low, asbos are so 90s :whistling:

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UPDATE

Quote from an article on Reuters today:

Seems we may be skipping Jerez but the BBC said...... I understand the reason all this news is coming out piecemeal and c#ck-eyed is because the workforce are close to rioting. These snippets are being released in an effort to keep the details of the team's plans under raps while many staff are threatening to leave if Honda do not confirm publicly what Brawn has been telling them.

But surely you would tell your guys not to panic, everything is okay but keep it under wraps. Not filter out that message in code, via the media. As for staff threatening to leave, maybe key staff who can be placed easily but my understanding is that the rest are clinging onto their jobs for dear life.

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But surely you would tell your guys not to panic, everything is okay but keep it under wraps. Not filter out that message in code, via the media. As for staff threatening to leave, maybe key staff who can be placed easily but my understanding is that the rest are clinging onto their jobs for dear life.

I certainly can't make any sense of it, for sure. Brawn has never spoken to the press this much for years yet, what he does say is so vague. It's as if he's being forced into it. Weird.

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Dribs:

But surely you would tell your guys not to panic, everything is okay but keep it under wraps. Not filter out that message in code, via the media. As for staff threatening to leave, maybe key staff who can be placed easily but my understanding is that the rest are clinging onto their jobs for dear life.

.....and Sean

There's another site that seems to get employees (and unfortunately, some that like to pretend they are) on there - there's a late post today from one poster talking about how angry some of the staff are - rightly so. They are rushing like maniacs now that certain things are in place, yet half the work force is still to be made redundant just as soon as they've rolled out 3 chassis - but no-one knows who yet. Nasty I know, but other teams have been just as bad (apparently Renault...) about keeping people in the dark too.

If it's true about the way they are being treated, I'm not surprised (though I'm sorry for them), Brawn hasn't got time on his side and needs all hands to the pumps. He hasn't got much choice.

The thread then goes on to tell about colours (blue) and that they have 3 sponsors signed up - one major that's dicating the car colours. And that Rubens is higher on the list for the other seat than most thought.

Apologies, it's news from another forum I know, so it's up to you to judge whether to trust it :P

Oh, and did I mention? They'll be on the grid in Melbourne. :D

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OK. This is in The Times today. I quote the whole story below:

The Honda Formula One team will be on the grid for the start of the 2009 season after a management buyout, The Times can reveal. Jenson Button will spearhead the team on the track after two months of intense work on a rescue package by senior managers.

Sources close to the Brackley-based outfit confirmed last night that the deal is going ahead and that the team will conduct a

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Amazing that Button has been around for 10 years.

Anyway, good news for the Honda boys and girls.

Not good news for all of them, I read today on itv-f1.com that of the 750 jobs at HondaF1, about 250 are to be made redundant.

And those who arent being made redundant will get a pay-cut, including Jenson himself, his annual salary slashed by half from

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Yeah good point. Funny thing is, the team might still do better with all these cuts than they did in recent years.

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Yeah good point. Funny thing is, the team might still do better with all these cuts than they did in recent years.

You got it. It's the way to go. Make these guys hungry again.

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Yay, finally I have something other than a hot Iranian guy to get excited about!

Ah your so lucky, some of us don't even have a hot Iranian guy.

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This is from Pitpass but you can't make this stuff up:

Could it be Brawn Racing?

28/02/2009

Hat tip to Carlos Rodrigues who has alerted Pitpass to the newly registered domain names - Brawnracing.com and Brawnracing.co.uk.

Both domain names are owned by Caroline McGrory, who has worked as a lawyer for both BAR -Honda and Honda Racing, and were registered on Wednesday 25 February.

Yesterday, sections of the media were reporting that following the management buy-out the former Honda F1 Team would be known as BrackleyF1, however a quick check reveals that this domain has been registered in Lithuania.

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