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Will anyone buy Super Aguri?
Topic Started: May 6 2008, 10:42 AM (523 Views)
Norbert
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I suppose the biggest issue with purchasing the assets of the SA team would be the huge financial debt they allegedly owe Honda. Presumably if anyone wanted to buy their way into F1, they would have to do so via the parent company.

If they did, what would they get? Technically, the chassis/gearbox/engine etc are Honda, so presumably they would all be retained or destroyed as Honda see fit. Would it be easier to start from scratch? The biggest question would be, would anyone even want to?
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TheCompleteGuitarist
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I think anyone seeing an F1 team struggle to sustain itself despite a huge amount of financial aid from another team is not really going to entice anyone to rush into competing in F1.

It's a bad day for F1 and it's future is far from secure. Time to rewrite the rules of engagement otherwise they may as well shoot themselves in the foot. . . . . . . . some more.
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ppparkinson9
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It would be possible to buy Super Aguri provided it didn't cost Honda anything. But assuming you acted swiftly to keep the race team together you are still going to have to tool up the factory to construct cars. This is why Jordan/Midland/Spyker has been regulary sold on, they have that capability. Who is going to stump up the cash to give it to Super Aguri is unclear.

Given that F1 continues to cost as much as it does, and the fact that three teams have more or less been sent under by the governing body not delivering I can't say F1 is a particulary attractive option for anyone at the moment.
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Alien_SAP_Fiend
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Dave Richards should give it a shot in 2009.

2009 is practically a new season, in any case.
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Rams
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What is there to buy? Most of it was owned by Honda.
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GordonB
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Why would you buy S.A. When STR is up for sale?

This is all fallout from the badly misjudged decision to allow customer cars. In response to Minardi, Jordan and Arrows' financial woes largely caused by the FIAs introduction of 8-cylinder engines and fannying around with the tyre/aero regs, the FIA short-sightedly allowed customer teams onto the grid.

The reason it was short-sighted is that now we're likely to lose both SA and STR. With the regulations fundamentally changed next year then any left-over chassis parts etc. in those teams will be worthless so there's not even much hope of a "revival" of either team along the lines that SA did with Arrows. Anyone coming in might as well start from scratch, and the costs of doing that are astronomical, so nobody will bother.

We'll be down to a grid of only 16 cars next year, two of which will be Force India! What happens then when Renault, Toyota, Red Bull or even Honda decide that the expense just isn't worth the hassle?
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Alien_SAP_Fiend
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Fewer back markers?
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John
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GordonB,May 6 2008
03:15 PM
What happens then when Renault, Toyota, Red Bull or even Honda decide that the expense just isn't worth the hassle?

... or when the credit crunch bites harder... will the BMW, Toyota, Honda & Renault boardrooms still see F1 as attractive or beneficial...
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GordonB
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John,May 6 2008
10:34 PM
GordonB,May 6 2008
03:15 PM
What happens then when Renault, Toyota, Red Bull or even Honda decide that the expense just isn't worth the hassle?

... or when the credit crunch bites harder... will the BMW, Toyota, Honda & Renault boardrooms still see F1 as attractive or beneficial...

Yes that's exactly the point - I just picked out the teams that I thought would be most vulnerable to that sentiment.

Pretty soon we might end up with only Ferrari, McLaren and Williams. McLaren and Williams because they are the only "privateer" teams left (I still include McLaren despite the huge shareholding by Merc), and Ferrari because without F1 Ferrari are nothing.
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Brave_Lee_Flea
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While I agree that Ferrari are the "biggest" of the teams I don't agree with the sentiment that they are bigger than Formula 1 which I believe would continue quite effectively without them if it had to.
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Rob
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I think you are a little wrong Petra. F1 wouldn't fold w/o Ferrari but there would be a large fan base missing. I'd still watch, but would Italy?


Ultimately it's a moot point as I don't think Ferrari will ever bow out of F1.
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Norbert
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Petra Lead,May 7 2008
11:30 AM
While I agree that Ferrari are the "biggest" of the teams I don't agree with the sentiment that they are bigger than Formula 1 which I believe would continue quite effectively without them if it had to.

I don't think Ferrari are the biggest team. In terms of the size they are tiny. Admittedly, FIAT who own Ferrari are much bigger, but technically they aren't the same company. BMW, Honda and Toyota must rank as the largest....?
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AndyW76
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As an F1 operation Ferrari are certainly one of the biggest and in terms of brand value they are important, but I doubt that entire legions of fans will quit F1 if they leave. F1 is still popular in germany, despite the retirement of Michael schumacher. OK, some of that can be acknowledged to BMW but they have only just started to look like WCC contenders this year. I don't think most motorsport fans are that shallow.
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Norbert
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AndyW76,May 7 2008
03:50 PM
I don't think most motorsport fans are that shallow.

Apart from those who idolise teams from Woking.

<peek>
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AndyW76
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Norbert,May 7 2008
03:02 PM
AndyW76,May 7 2008
03:50 PM
I don't think most motorsport fans are that shallow.

Apart from those who idolise teams from Woking.

<peek>

Don't you mean those honarary italians that can't see any other colour than red. <devil>

Except when they are losing.
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