Honda chief says F1 not attractive

[Giuseppe F1]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76947

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Honda chief says F1 not attractive
By Pablo Elizalde
Monday, July 13th 2009, 11:17 GMT

Formula 1 is not appealing anymore for Japanese manufacturer Honda, according to the company's new chief executive.

Honda withdrew from Formula 1 at the end of last year citing financial reasons, having underperformed for years.

Under the new ownership, the Brawn team is now leading both championships using a Mercedes engine.

The company's new chief says the sport has become much less attractive for Honda given its technical restrictions, and he admitted there is no interest in a possible return.

"It was a real shame that we had to leave Formula 1," Takanobu Ito was quoted as saying by Reuters during a media briefing in Tokyo.

"On the other hand, F1 is becoming less of a medium in which companies can test their various strengths and more of an event with mounting restrictions.

"There's little room for us to challenge new fields, so bearing in mind the current state of series, I don't think we have the desire to return, even if the economy improves."

[Giuseppe F1]

I guess this is along the lines of how Honda always had a very strong culture of sending their car company engineers to work for the F1 team for 6months-1 year to gain technical and innovation insight and experience to then cross pollinate into other areas of the Honda business.

I guess with the various caps, restrictions and freezes etc, this is the point Honda are making?

[ioan]

I have to say that I understand his POV.

[I am evil Homer]

Absolutely - it's now less about engineering skill and pushing boundaries (the diffusor isn't really boundary pushing) and increasingly a very expensive marketing exercise.

[AndyRAC]

Absolutely - it's now less about engineering skill and pushing boundaries (the diffuser isn't really boundary pushing) and increasingly a very expensive marketing exercise.

Mmm, I wonder who we can blame for that?

[ioan]

Mmm, I wonder who we can blame for that?

There are 2 guys mainly to blame.

[CCWS77]

"On the other hand, F1 is becoming less of a medium in which companies can test their various strengths and more of an event with mounting restrictions.I don't know how you can read that any other way then to mean that Honda wants it to be more of a marketing exercise for whatever their company can show off. An event with zero restrictions would be be the ultimate marketing event lacking substance......much like concept vehicles at an autoshow. Why do we need a race series if that is all you care about? Honda concluded they don't.

[anthonyvop]

Translation.

We spent 100's of millions of $$$$ in F1 and achieved nothing then quit. So now, of course, I will bash it!

[Rollo]

Translation.

We spent 100's of millions of $$$$ in F1 and achieved nothing then quit. So now, of course, I will bash it!

:up:

This is a 21st Century re-telling of Aesop's story "The Fox and the Grapes". I hate it when they do a remake of old stories.

[Jag_Warrior]

Translation.

We spent 100's of millions of $$$$ in F1 and achieved nothing then quit. So now, of course, I will bash it!

If Honda hadn't gotten its tail blisterd in F1 for the past several years, I'd be inclined to say that Takanobu Ito has a point. But when the rules were more open, they still got beaten like a rented government mule.

And at least in the U.S., Hyundai is beginning to eat away at their reliability and engineering reputation. Honda is a far different company now than the one we knew 15 or 20 years ago.

Another thing that doesn't match up with Takanobu Ito's claim: other than Acura in ALMS, the only (semi) major series that Honda still participates in is the IRL. A virtual spec, relatively low tech series, with Honda as the only engine manufacturer. No wonder Hyundai is catching them.

[ioan]

All you guys are missing the fact that this year's Brawn is a Honda built car, so it's not like they couldn't build a winning car.

Now that facts are clear, keep up the bashing fest.