Honda bows out of F1 ! ! ! Economy hurts ! [Archive]

flyin ryan

12-06-2008, 02:37 AM

for as good of a car company Honda is & i have a lot of respect for, their F1 team sucked azz from day one, i'm being kind:cool:. that said F1 as a whole is on a slippery slope.

tomtom72

03-30-2009, 08:12 AM

.....And to add insult to injury the team that was Honda paced the field in qualifying to capture the front row of the grid and Jenson Button lead every lap and took top step on the podium with Rubens taking 2nd step in Melbourne with a chassis that the Honda team and Ross Brawn developed. It's funny that Honda gave up on last season's championship early to concentrate on the development of the 2009 rules chassis.

Oh, the 1st and 2nd place finishes by a new F1 team in their maiden outting has not been repeated since 1954, when another Merc powered team did it. Kudos to Brawn/Mercedes F1, Rory and the boys sure put the wood to'em.:thumbsup:

bjurasz

03-30-2009, 09:29 AM

Honda has just got to be kicking themselves right now! A very exciting race. I think this season is going to be great to watch.

RedSled

03-31-2009, 10:32 AM

Agree all around. Some good F1 racing action for a change. And nice to see some new folks out front.

flyin ryan

04-03-2009, 01:06 AM

Honda has just got to be kicking themselves right now! A very exciting race. I think this season is going to be great to watch.Should have tried to hire/steal Ross Brawn a long time ago. Good chance it would have been worth it :o

tomtom72

04-04-2009, 08:07 AM

This is interesting.....Jenson put the Brawn on pole in KL and Rubens is in row 2 at the 4th spot. Yarno in the Toyota and Vettel has the Red Bull Renault in 2nd & 3rd respectively! This is great stuff, the usual suspects are conspicious in their absence from dominating the sport it seems for now any way.

I think if Brawn/Merc keeps this stuff up some one at Honda may have some 'splaining to do about why their car without their livery is doing so well so far. I wonder if the Honda vs Toyota thing is like the Ford vs Chevy thing? If so, then Toyota's performance so far may add insult to injury.

:cheers:

flyin ryan

04-04-2009, 07:09 PM

I wonder if the Honda vs Toyota thing is like the Ford vs Chevy thing? If so, then Toyota's performance so far may add insult to injury.

:cheers:It's way, way worse than Ford vs. Chev., Honda & Toyota are sworn enemies...that's not small talk, seriously.

tomtom72

04-05-2009, 08:47 AM

Well if the rivalry is that hotly contested then some one at Honda sure looks like there is some egg on their face.

Button & company just finished first, in a rain shortened race. Heidfeld and Glock rounded out the podium in 2nd & 3rd respectively in the Petronas BMW/Sauber and the Panasonic Toyota, with Jarno's Toyota in 4th.

Ross Brawn had two cars in the points again, with Rubens down in 5th I think. The M & M boys only had one car, Lewis, in the points and the F-car guys had no car in the points.

This is starting to look like the championship is going to be an interesting one indeed this year. Jmho, but it looks to be that the rules have handed control of the cars back to the drivers finally. I can't wait for China in two weeks!

I wonder if the BOD at Honda is questioning their decision to quit F1 to go with IndyCar?

flyin ryan

04-05-2009, 03:42 PM

I think Honda has been beating their head against the wall & throwing money at F-1 for so long know, they didn't/don't care about the optics. Wasn't a matter of them getting out with their head held high...they just wanted out :neutral:

tomtom72

04-06-2009, 08:04 AM

Yea, you are proly correct Ryan. They just wanted the nightmare to stop. I guess that they forgot that they were the first from Japan to win a F1 race. I guess the accountants don't care much for history if it's not written on a balance sheet.

Oh well, I think that this will be an interesting season. I would like to see a race run to conclusion with out the safety car being on the track. I wonder how long it will take the other teams to add the wide rear diffuser, now that it has been deemed legal? That will make for some interesting racing.

flyin ryan

04-07-2009, 02:08 AM

I wonder how long it will take the other teams to add the wide rear diffuser, now that it has been deemed legal? That will make for some interesting racing.Has it been declared legal...? i thought they still have a hearing coming up...but are letting teams run it for now? The whole things kinda strange, IMO. But thats F-1, LOL. I have a freind i used to race professional MX/SX with that works in England now on an F-1 team, can't say which one otherwise he won't tell me good stuff anymore LOL, but i haven't talked to him in the last week since they didn't have any time in-between the last two races, so i'm not up on the diffuser angle right this moment :dontknow:.

tomtom72

04-07-2009, 09:03 AM

:sign10:I should never read the "news" at the F1 site without my coffee! I gotta get me one of those TiVO things for the GP's in the far east, those start times are a bit too much for me!:sign10:

You are right, they are going to have that hearing 4/14. I thought the temporary stay was the "judgement" on the diffuser. By Barcelonna there should be a decision. I hope everyone has a new "back half" of the car ready because either way some one is going to need it! Jez that's going to be expensive, gear box case, rear suspension attachment points, etc, etc....

Hey that is cool that you know some one "on the inside". I'll bet that life looks better than it is though, those people earn their cash living in that pressure cooker. Gotta be into it to endure.

flyin ryan

04-07-2009, 09:56 PM

I'll bet that life looks better than it is though, those people earn their cash living in that pressure cooker. Gotta be into it to endure.Ya...he really doesn't have much of a life, lives in a fish bowl. He's not complaining, knows lots of guys who would love to trade places with him. He likes doing it...for now. One thing he hates is no races in North America anymore, everyone agree's with him that there should be three races here, two U.S. & one in Canada. Ol' Bernie E. :censored::blahblah:

tomtom72

04-10-2009, 10:24 AM

I don't know that I blame Bernie, it's his business. If he can get that kind of $ to let a promoter have an F1 race, then go for it. I guess that is his idea of a good business model? I agree that it is strange that a U.S. GP can't seem to make a go of it and make it stick. I wonder if the "market" is not as large as promoters think it is? I remember that for a long time there was very little to no TV coverage for F1 at least where I live in the NYC/suburbs. Not till ESPN got hold of it, and then FOX took it away. I liked ESPN a bit more as they showed reruns more often. I'll bet it all comes down to "Fees", and I guess Bernie has control of that too! I remember back in the mid '60's when ABC's WWSports was the only place you saw F1....in B&W!...on Saturdays! No reruns, if you missed it that was it. I'll bet the coverage was a by-product of their coverage of Le Mans because of the GT40. Yea, I watched that too!:sign10:

tomtom72

04-17-2009, 09:21 AM

Just thought I'd post a link to the FIA's decision on the diffusers.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/4/9175.html

They are legal.....

This maybe an interesting season for a short while till the have nots get their alternate gear cases on their cars.

flyin ryan

04-17-2009, 01:48 PM

Ya i heard that, didn't have time to post up. Thanks for doing it for everybody, tomtom72.

tomtom72

04-17-2009, 03:31 PM

No problemo Ryan.

I was wondering what if the Tufosi and the Merc boys had stumbled upon these defusers instead of the have nots? What would the FIA have said in that case......not to be a nosey parker, but do you hear anything from the inside on what the real feeling about these things are in light of the spirit of the rules? I just can't believe that the brain trusts at Ferrari and Mercedes didn't "see" those and dismiss them as at least violating the spirit of the new rules....JMHO.

Looks like the drivers are not happy with the rubber that Bridgestone brought to the dance. Gotta go read those stories. Enjoy the race!

:cheers:
Tom

flyin ryan

05-12-2009, 11:08 AM

Brawn still rolling...pretty impressive given the fact how little time Ross B. had to get things the way 'He' want's them from the Honda deal. At this point of the season, they are for real.

GOLDCYLON

05-12-2009, 03:53 PM

I gotta ask guys, I understand the concept of pressure and downforce but would not the extra drag of the diffusers cause major tire wear? Or is the handling the offset? GC

flyin ryan

05-12-2009, 10:41 PM

I gotta ask guys, I understand the concept of pressure and downforce but would not the extra drag of the diffusers cause major tire wear? Or is the handling the offset? GCGood question Daryll, not much has been made about tire wear on diffuser shod cars, so i would assume not :dontknow:. From what i understand the extra downforce loads the 'Whole car', not just the back end, so the tire wear would be split among all 'Four' tires, making any 'extra' tire wear not so bad.

tomtom72

05-19-2009, 09:59 AM

Yea I think the "have not's" have arrived, specially the Brawn F1 team. I do believe that the new players have a slight edge w/ the now "legal" diffusers. It appears to me that they have a bit more aero-grip from the under tray and that allows them to use less wing and get a bit more straight line speed in otherwise "high down force" situations. I also suspect that a side benefit of their diffuser is a bit more disturbed air off of the rear so following closely causes the follower to loose the nose to a greater degree....that's just what I think I'm seeing, I could be needing better glasses though!

This week at Monaco should be interesting though. High mechanical grip and high aero grip, not much of a top end place and ya need good stuff out of the turn....this could be fun to watch.:mrgreen:

:cheers:
Tom

flyin ryan

05-19-2009, 01:10 PM

No passing coming up this week. On one hand Monaco is kinda neat & cool but on the other hand, as far as racing on Sunday, it's a joke :cool:.

tomtom72

05-20-2009, 08:31 AM

Okay so I'm the eternal optimist, or very nostalgic....:redface:....I can't help but think that this new aero pkg may, I stress "may", contribute to some on the track passing at a place as tight as Monaco. I hope.:neutral:

I base that opinion upon no actual understanding of F1 car design.:sign10:

flyin ryan

05-20-2009, 02:31 PM

tomtom72

05-22-2009, 09:36 AM

I gotta ask guys, I understand the concept of pressure and downforce but would not the extra drag of the diffusers cause major tire wear? Or is the handling the offset? GC

Ya know Daryl I do think ( I shouldn't do that!) that there is a trade off involved. I'm not sure that all the trick diffuser cars have equal tire distress though. It seems to me that some of the premature front tire graining maybe related to the exact configuration of the trick diffusers. Not all of those guys are having the same magnitude of graining, and even the guys without the trick diffusers are having graining issues. I'm going to guess that the aero loading caused by the trick diffusers, and even the std diffusers is biased to the rear of the car. I think that may cause the front to be sliding around more, generally.:dontknow::mrgreen:

tomtom72

05-23-2009, 09:41 AM

Ha Ha Ryan I'm for sure getting senile. I'm watching qualifying at Monaco and I have truly forgotten how impossibly tight that course is....I have to agree with you. The only passing will be in the pits.:(

Oh, btw, Hamilton just locked the rear & slammed the wall, he will not get past Q1 session. Jez, some of these guys looked to be on the edge in Q1, and they were using all of the road!

flyin ryan

05-25-2009, 11:27 AM

I recorded the race & watched it last night. Tough staying awake for the whole thing :sleepy1:.

tomtom72

05-25-2009, 01:30 PM

I recorded the race & watched it last night. Tough staying awake for the whole thing :sleepy1:.

:sign10::( but there was some passing going on at the back of the field....okay I know, I know, I need to get better glasses. That place is just too tight, but watching individual cars & their performance was interesting. Those guys can wheel!:worship:

Take heart Ryan....Turkey is next and then GB, Hungary, Monza.....:dancing faaaaast tracks where we will see whom has caught up to whom....:happy1:

DaveK

05-25-2009, 02:03 PM

I recorded the race & watched it last night. Tough staying awake for the whole thing :sleepy1:.

I DID fall asleep lol

I'd done a 12 hour drive on Saturday though so had an excuse. :)

Really good to see the 'little guys' getting their shot though.

flyin ryan

05-26-2009, 01:40 AM

Take heart Ryan....Turkey is next and then GB, Hungary, Monza.....:dancing faaaaast tracks where we will see whom has caught up to whom....:happy1:Can't wait :razz:. Like said before...wasn't expecting much from Monaco :cool:.

tomtom72

05-27-2009, 07:57 AM

I agree with you Dave! But in defense of the Big Guys, they didn't do much development work last year as Merc & Ferrari were busy with other things, and Brawn GP was spending Honda's $ on the new formula for 09's chassis for almost the entire 08 season.....I'll bet a lot of the little guys from 08 were spending a lot of time on the 09 chassis. My guess would be that everyone was seeing the opening created by the fight between Merc & Ferrari, and took advantage of that situation. JMHO:o

:cheers:

DaveK

05-27-2009, 08:36 PM

I think Mercedes and Ferrari blew their budgets on spies and court appearances last year ;)

tomtom72

05-28-2009, 07:16 AM

I think Mercedes and Ferrari blew their budgets on spies and court appearances last year ;)

:sign10::thumbsup:

Ya think Max passed on that solicitor's contact info that he used to the Merc boys?;)

tomtom72

06-06-2009, 08:37 AM

Holy smokes.....at the end of Q1 seaaion, Hamilton did not make it to Q2!!!!!

back to watching...:mrgreen:

Q2 resulted in the other McLaren being knocked out at P14.
Vettal in the RB renault is P1, both Brawns and Truli's Toyota and both Ferarri's made it to Q3 along with Alonzo, and I think Weber(?).

back to watching......

Q3 Vettal and Button first row, Webber & Rubens second row....the RBR's have split the Brawn cars....looks like it may be a good idea to not engrave the Constructor's Trophy's plaque just yet.