Honda buys 45% stake in BAR.

[Kicking-back]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/4019701.stm


Looks like Honda are to buy BAR, and David Richards will leave the team.

[Ryo28]

I guess it had to happen eventually, with the tobacco advertising ban coming in, but this has still come out of (seemingly) nowhere!

[Kirk]

No surprise to me. My first thought: This could change Button's mind about who he will sign up with in 2006, especially if Honda can provide him a decent car. And I think they will.

[BootsOntheSide]

A shame for Dave Richards to be leaving, on the very day I commented that the loss of guys like he, Frank and Ron could really increase F1's gradual loss of character. It'd potentially be good for Honda, but probably bad for the fans in general.

[Kicking-back]

Dave Richards is in a slightly different situation to Ron or Frank though.

He's simply an employee of a corporation.

If this were the Prodrive F1 team then I could see the comparison though.

[muzza4ever]

What's interesting for me is the rumour that was circulating a while back about DR leaving (pushed) could well turn out to be true....

It never ends this circus and to a degree is what makes up for some of the lack of action on the track at times

[Adam43]

I think it is a mistake to lose Richards the team has come a long way since he joined. As for Button, I don't think it'll make any difference to him: BAR already produce a good car - I can't see changing the name to Honda causing an improvement on their 2004 WCC position!

[Super Tourer]

It was pretty well known that by 2006 was the deadline for BAT to sell the team.

BAT have spent the last few years converting loans they have made to BAR into equity so that they would own the team almost entirely by the time they came to sell, with the remaining shareholders like JV, Pollock and Adrian Reyard owning probably under 5% between them.

BAT shareholders have wanted out for a while and Honda is the only obvious buyer, it makes sense for them to step out from behind the shadow of BAR, particularly now that they have found their feet again.

[Kirk]

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
I think it is a mistake to lose Richards the team has come a long way since he joined. As for Button, I don't think it'll make any difference to him: BAR already produce a good car - I can't see changing the name to Honda causing an improvement on their 2004 WCC position!

I must disagree about Button. As hard as he tried to disguise it, a big issue that he had at BAR was with DR himself. If DR goes, it's a clean slate again and if BAR can manage to beat Williams in '05 (thats a big IF mind you) then JB may just hang around.

[Knowlesy]

kicking out DR would be plain daft really.

And it is another car manufacturer team to add, meaning an extra team that can pull out at zero notice any time.

[alesi95]

Mixed emotions on this one. Inevitable Honda will buy BAR because BAT want out. Yet why sack Richards when he's doing a great job? Answer: Because Japanese Manufactuers want to ruin there own operations by pushing their on corporate fat cats upon the team.....I.E Toyota's last 2 years in F1.

[Snrub]

This is quiet the end of season/off season. Honda was already spending an ungodly amount of money on engine R&D. Some stats were posted some time ago that indicated that Honda spends the most on a F1 as a percentage of team money of any engine manufacturer and I *think* the most on engine development period. As far as auto manufactuers go, Honda has always struck me as one of the better ones, so I don't see this as a horrible thing to happen.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Kirk
I must disagree about Button. As hard as he tried to disguise it, a big issue that he had at BAR was with DR himself.

Any confirmation of this? Jenson and DR's relationship started to go sour when Button signed the Williams contract.

[Peter Mallett]

Big shame because as we've seen the manufacturer driven teams don't seem to be able to cut it (Ferrari excluded). Honda IMO won't do any better than Toyota or Renault or indeed Ford, all of whom underperformed considering available resources.

And losing DR will be a costly exercise. He was the glue that held the team together, even if there was a spat with JB it was sorted out in a businesslike manner eventually and I don't think it affected the team's performance.

[Dutton]

It would come as of no surprise, I've been waiting for it, well, since the two operations came together. It does make sense for both parties.

I was thinking, RE the problem of manufacturers/corporations pulling the plug when it is deemed noto be worth their while.

How about, when they enter, they have to agree to competing in at least 10 consecutive seasons? Something along those lines? Or, if they want to quit early, then they have to pay a bit of penalty (preferably this penalty could go to the bottom teams, rather than Bernie's pockets), and also a guaranteed replacement signed up before they can leave so there is no risk of losing a team?

Ach, it is probably all utterly unworkable and so on, just a pondering on a difficult situation.

[GTRMagic]

So why wouldnt Mr Richards cast his lot with the RedBull consortium, or ArdenF1 or MidlandF1 or any number of other groups likely interested in a structured go forward plan with an experienced operator at the helm.

If Mr Richards really wanted to be in F1, its not an impossible task... noises abound that Jaguar was sold for $1... so its not like the asking price was too high

[Glen]

Originally posted by Mr V
Any confirmation of this? Jenson and DR's relationship started to go sour when Button signed the Williams contract.

No - the way I read it, once more facts were known (ie about DR witholding Jenson's bonus payments), JB signed with Williams partly because of the souring of his relationship with the team.

I think it very unlikely that anything short of a disaster (like BMW pulling out or somesuch) would make Jenson shift his ambitions away from Williams. It may well be the case that the BAR (Honda?) team take their eye off the ball a bit when the takeover happens, especially if they change a lot of management and infrastructure.

[Dutton]

There is indeed every likelihood of Honda changing significant amounts of things at top, or at least I presume it to be so.

It wouldn't be wise, of course, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

[N I Tram]

There's no guarantee that Honda would get it right - look how Jaguar failed to match Stewart's achievements, even with more money and 2 extra years, and that Toyota have floundered despite huge financial and staffing input. They'd be best to keep DR if possible, because he's the one who knows what he's doing. Honda are great with engines, but very much unproven beyond that.

[neilap]

I have little doubt the transition would be smooth. Honda has been homogenized in the team over the years. I also read where JB stated he and DR were not "mates". I dont know what happened or why it happened. However I feel Honda buying the team is the best thing that could happen. I am also surprised by the comparison to Toyota, Jag etc... BAR has already surpassed all the combined achievements of these teams. Why would Honda acquiring the team put them at the back of the grid?

[Glen]

It wouldn't put them at the back of the grid! No one has said anything of the sort. The takeover could easily precipitate a minor dip in their development though - only short term, and possibly for the better in the longer term, but when big changes are put in place it is common for it to take a while to get back in the groove. Jaguar never did find their way, despite acquiring a moderately good Stewart team for example.

[Logrence]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
Dave Richards is in a slightly different situation to Ron or Frank though.

He's simply an employee of a corporation.

If this were the Prodrive F1 team then I could see the comparison though.

Honda brought Prodrive in to run the team, though didn't they? I thought Prodrive was managing BAR and Dave as head of that was the de facto leader of the F1 team.

[Kicking-back]

No.

Dave Richards was employed as an individual.

It is not a ProDrive project.

[Utopian]

noises abound that Jaguar was sold for $1...

?

[Super Tourer]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
No.

Dave Richards was employed as an individual.

It is not a ProDrive project.

I think there is Prodrive involvement. Nick Fry who is mentioned in the BBC article, is MD of the Prodrive group and on their website, Prodrive list managing the BAR F1 team as one of their motorsport programs.


http://www.prodrive.com/defaultflash.asp?M=6


In motorsport we are the world’s largest independent business with involvement in various international race and rally series. Currently, we run the Subaru World Rally Team in the World Rally Championship; the Ferrari 550 GTS programme in the Le Mans 24 hours and American Le Mans Series; Ford Performance Racing in the Australian V8 Supercar series; as well as managing the BAR Formula One Team

I'm sure Prodrive will retain some involvement with or without DR at the helm. It's thought that DR wants to rationalize some of his extensive commitments.It could be said that the re-structuring and turnaround in team fortunes, which was the role he was brought in for, is well under way in anycase.

I'm sure Honda won't want to 'throw the baby out with the bath water', Ford having supplied enough examples of that to show the likely results.