Honda getting ready to test ? – Update – Managament buyout approved ?
Posted on February 27, 2009 by F1Wolf
GrandPrix.com now claims that “multiple sources” are confirming their reports that the management buyout of Honda Racing F1 has now been agreed and that Ross Brawn and Nick Fry will run the team, using Meredes Benz engines, Honda money – plus the money that comes from TV income, plus whatever sponsorship can be found. Jenson Button is said to drive one of the cars, Rubens Barrichello is said to be back in the picture if his experience outweighs the money Bruno Senna can bring. See full article here – Honda management buyout to go ahead
At almost the same time TimesOnline brought this exclusive pretty much confirming the management buyout – Exclusive: Honda saved from the Formula One scrapheap
Earlier:
Autosport claims that Honda Racing are getting ready to begin pre-season testing. There is no news on any buyers or takeover but according to autosport.com the team personnel have been instructed to get ready to go testing. Similar claims have been made by BBC.
More here – Honda preparing to test 2009 car and here Ex-Honda team closes on F1 return
Discussion: 21 Comments
21 Responses to “Honda getting ready to test ? – Update – Managament buyout approved ?”
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Kotenok
- 25th Feb, 09 11:02pm
Test? With which engine??? “The-team-still-to-be-named” is planning to surprise everybody with a four-wheel-drive car (4×4) placing running hamsters in the wheels?
F1Wolf
(author comment)
- 26th Feb, 09 12:02am
the engine probably is Mercedes, it does look like the team has some in hand:
Some not so reliable source quotes Ross Brawn as saying:
But as Pitpass says – No news is good news, goes the old adage, however, many feel that no news is no news.
Kotenok
- 26th Feb, 09 03:02am
Is what I think, about Honda no news is no news, but however… Until now there has been too many news and until now anyone has been made true.
F1Wolf
(author comment)
- 26th Feb, 09 11:02am
one difference I see this time – this latest story was picked up by usually reliable sources like Autosport and BBC. And it is yet to appear in GMM feed
if it was only a rumour GMM would have probably put that story out 
Jose Arellano
- 26th Feb, 09 02:02am
i dont remember where i read, that the team had already 1 mercedez engine a long time ago and they where working in adapting it to the car. so they must done it by now
Kotenok
- 26th Feb, 09 03:02am
And they have this engine since a lot of time ago??? Thar could open another spy gate!! HAHA Of course, if Mercedes is aware of that, but tehnically, while Honda didn’t sell the team it could be considered an idustrial spy case, but it’s clear that Honda withdrew and doesn’t want to return to the competition, and even will do nothing else for the team than just selling it.
Kotenoks last blog post..Devonte Hoeker joined F1Wolf Club
Timmie
- 26th Feb, 09 06:02am
lol, yeah heard the whole Ross Brawn staement thing this morning too.
Whether he actually said it or not is i guess something we are not privy too.
But it did state that they had paid the first installment to Mercedes and had adapted the car to fit the engine package into the chassis.
Also did state as per above that everything is ready to go and if they were given an okay and that they were bought out, they would send their car to the final test sessions before the season porper begins.
Of course, who knows what is really true and this is the first time we have heard boo out of Ross Brawn in a while as he has been pretty quiet about everything so far.
F1Wolf
(author comment)
- 26th Feb, 09 09:02am
Brawn has been quiet since he said that thing about getting engines from Ferrari. Since then all the talk came from Nick Fry. But haven’t heard from Mr Fry for quite a while although there is lots of talk abput him
marc
- 26th Feb, 09 09:02am
Seeing is believing.
marcs last blog post..Champagne Wishes, Caviar Dreams and a $200 Million Race Tracks
F1Wolf
(author comment)
- 26th Feb, 09 10:02am
BBC also claims the team is on its way:
TSJ
- 26th Feb, 09 04:02pm
It’s great that they are starting to test, but there is still this little voice in the back of my head which screams “Mastercard Lola!”. Back in ‘97 they showed up in Australia and was horribly off-pace. I am fearing a similar situation for “Honda”.
F1Wolf
(author comment)
- 26th Feb, 09 04:02pm
Mastercard Lola
http://www.f1wolf.com/2008/12/formula-1-1997-liveries.html
TSJ
- 26th Feb, 09 04:02pm
I actually liked the design of the Lola, nice and clean, but that doesn’t really help when you are being bitch-slapped by a Minardi.
Dank
- 26th Feb, 09 08:02pm
Honda will be present at Silverstone next week in a shakedown of their 2009 car, with Mercedes engine.
Danks last blog post..The Grand Prix Priest
F1Wolf
(author comment)
- 27th Feb, 09 12:02am
this is the bit F1GPUpdate says:
http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2009/02/26/ex-honda-team-set-to-return/
Kotenok
- 27th Feb, 09 08:02pm
Something updated about Brackley F1? They’restill not confirmed…
I got rumors maybe, but F1live.com and TheF1.com coincidence to name it alike with the same source GMM. As the half world does when you time in Google: Brackley F1.
F1Wolf
- 27th Feb, 09 08:02pm
I don’t consider GMM as a reliable source so I don’t quote them
but Brackley F1 has now also been mentioned on ITV web, although they make a bit of fun of that name. Will see. I hope we hear finally something directly from Honda Ross Brawn
Kotenok
- 28th Feb, 09 02:02am
I do not arrive to understand why Honda would keep on a sub-financial status, keep the team because it’s cheaper to make it survive than to finalize contracts with everyone there, and they do not provide the engines… Actually, the rules this year make it cheaper to the suppliers, because they have a very limited supply (officially 9 engines per season, which would be more in testing bench and some reserve engines), no more than 25 engines should be delivered then. Considering that they’re freezed… It doesn’t need any investment in development, and just produce them. Which is the problem??? Honda didn’t have about 10 to 20 engines on their hands already for their F1 team? It makes no much sense to give the money to the team they try to sell to invest it in the buyout from other’s provider engine. That’s what I think about GMM news, I do not understand why is thought that Honda should maintain the team a further year, but anyway, there’s nothing written about how to make business really…
F1Wolf
(author comment)
- 28th Feb, 09 07:02am
I think it has a lot to do with the Japanese way of doing things. Things may make absolutely no sense to us but very good sense to the management of Honda.
It may however also be simple politcs within the Honda car company. At the end, there was a change of chairman recently and who knows what was going on behind the scenes for past few months….
Kotenok
- 28th Feb, 09 10:02am
You may know it better. I’ll be satisfied already if they make it to the grid and remain competitive, such miracles has been seen just with the takeover of Red Bull of Jaguar.
Just all the stories about Honda are impossible to follow, there’s no relation between all them and they’re since long ago not clear sources, and rely on what some press write is however not possible (half guessed things are not a proper news to be published ). Of course do not ban this site, as F1 Wolf’s site is giving contrasted news only, and if it’s a rumor it’s properly advised beforehand, this is one of the things out of control of an F1 blogger is that you depend on what others say
When the team has done it, then we can say they’ve done it! So they will be testing here, let’s see if I catch them
zblkhwk
- 28th Feb, 09 08:02am
There is no way two weeks is enought time to fit a new engine into a car. Either they have been working on the assumption that the were going to use a Mercedes powerplant (taking a huge risk) or they really signed a deal quite a while ago.
Either way, they were horribly off pace last year. With no testing until 20 days before the season, it would be a miracle if they weren’t dead last all season.