Super Aguri going tits up?

[pchall]

This makes me wonder when the whole F1 economy will finally blow up.

ripped from crash.net :


Bernie Ecclestone added fuel to the rumours that Super Aguri might not be seen at another grand prix – ironically after the Japanese minnows enjoyed their most competitive outing of the season to-date in Barcelona at the weekend.

Takuma Sato finished the Spanish Grand Prix in 13th place, having run as high as ninth and at one point looking like he may just repeat the small Leafield-based outfit's heroics of 2007 around the Circuit de Catalunya by creeping into the tail end of the points. A long and heavy final stint dashed any chance of that, however, and with team principal Aguri Suzuki flying over to Japan on Wednesday this week to hold yet more crisis talks with parent company Honda in Tokyo, there are fears he may not get another opportunity.

“They don't look in very good shape, unfortunately,” 77-year-old Ecclestone told international news agency Reuters. “I want them to stay; I've been helping them the last week.”

[STD]

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns20302.html

[dando]

I think that's what this thread (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7350699.stm) was about.

And yes, with the US economy going tits up, the major mfgs like BMW and Merc are going to start feeling the pinch. We'll see how much pain they can withstand. India and China won't be buying those brands en masse anytime soon.

-Kevin

[ilferrari]

“They don't look in very good shape, unfortunately,” 77-year-old Ecclestone told international news agency Reuters.

Berntard is more responsible than anyone for the deaths of small F1 teams. He is taking a ridiculous slice of the revenues for his own pocket. I wonder why these teams enter at all.

[Chaos]

Berntard is more responsible than anyone for the deaths of small F1 teams. He is taking a ridiculous slice of the revenues for his own pocket. I wonder why these teams enter at all.

that's not true... there's never been more money invested into F1 teams than ever before.

it's not Bernie's fault little teams can't make that next step.

[pchall]

The problem is that the rich get richer and the poor starve. Organizations like Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, and BMW already have had so many Euros put into their infrastructure that nobody else will ever catch up. It's gone way behind the times almost 30 years ago when a cash rich group like TAG or Bin Laden and send a check and buy a team competitiveness in a season or two. Not even all of Dieter's Red Bull money has been able to raise a team beyond mid-pack.


that's not true... there's never been more money invested into F1 teams than ever before.

it's not Bernie's fault little teams can't make that next step.

[Chaos]

The problem is that the rich get richer and the poor starve. Organizations like Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, and BMW already have had so many Euros put into their infrastructure that nobody else will ever catch up. It's gone way behind the times almost 30 years ago when a cash rich group like TAG or Bin Laden and send a check and buy a team competitiveness in a season or two. Not even all of Dieter's Red Bull money has been able to raise a team beyond mid-pack.

"The problem is that the rich get richer and the poor starve." I understand this, but racing is not socialist.

If you want to be world class racing, and auto companies are willing to pay that money? what's the problem?

Isn't buying a team and being competitive right away a bit of an antithesis of what F1 is supposed to be?

Besides, even when there were lots of private teams, there were also lots of ride buyers, so even though there was competition at the front, there was a serious inadequacy in the back. I do not see any ride buyers (save for 1 or maybe 2) this season.

[dando]

The problem is that the rich get richer and the poor starve. Organizations like Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, and BMW already have had so many Euros put into their infrastructure that nobody else will ever catch up. It's gone way behind the times almost 30 years ago when a cash rich group like TAG or Bin Laden and send a check and buy a team competitiveness in a season or two. Not even all of Dieter's Red Bull money has been able to raise a team beyond mid-pack.

I'll bet :tony: can fix it. :gomer:

-Kevin