Uncomfirmed at this point, but you’d have to be under a giant moss-covered rock in Siberia to miss the headlines screaming “Honda to quit F1!”
The natural reaction would of course be, “It’s the economy, stupid!” To run two teams last year, Honda outspent every other outfit on the grid and have nothing but embarrassment to show for it, as archrival Toyota managed at times to look like legitimate podium challengers while the Brackley squad trundled around with Force India who were running their whole team on about what Honda probably spends per test session. In an up and down season where the former Minardi team snagged a much-deserved win and Fisichella and Sutil even managed a few times to haul the Force India (nee Spyker nee Midland nee Jordan) into “How’d he get up there?” spots in the running order, the works Honda team was the only constant… constantly too slow and cumbersome to haul themselves even as high as midfield. The return on investment for Honda has been worse than nothing; it’s damaged the brand that left F1 at the top of their game in 1992, having powered five consecutive drivers’ titles (6 constructors) under two different engine formulas.
But surely, if Honda was going to have a make-or-break year, it would be 2009. They’ve got all the pieces they’ve been lacking since the incomprehensibly brainless sacking of Dave Richards 4 years ago. Over the last year, Ross Brawn’s surely put together a team and a car that can at least run respectably; if not, what were they working on all last season?
Honda were first to the mass market with a hybrid car; you’d think that the KERS introduction would favor them. They were certainly the first team to have it up and running. Did they find in the system other teams haven’t?
So we have two possible scenarios: Honda management does another trademark knee-jerk and pulls out in a flagging economy just as they have a chance for success on track…
… or development is dissapointing, Honda realizes they’re going to piss away hundreds of millions for BAD publicity yet again.
If the latter is the case, it makes every bit of sense for Honda to jump ship. Bernie and Max have gone from arrogant and insulting to stark raving mad with their pronouncements for the future state of F1. Even KERS draws fair criticism; if people will que up to watch a fuel economy run, why bother holding the race at all? Economy runs are something we can all participate in on the way to work every morning, they hardly stir the senses.
It’s not as though Honda won’t plenty of motorsport press. If anything, dropping F1 will get them more good press. The talent pool in Brackley need not be dissolved; with enough development, Acura’s new LMP could deliver results as early as Sebring. Surely many will look for other employment in F1, but there’s the makings of a Le Mans Series squad already if Honda so chooses. And a podium at Le Sarthe would certainly be a better return on investment than being soundly beaten race after race by Minardi.
