Formula One Edition
November 6, 2009
TOYOTA OUT. RENAULT NEXT?
Toyota announced this week that it will be pulling out of Formula One racing, effective immediately. While that is not a death blow, it certainly is distressing because you never really want to see manufacturers pulling out of the game. The decision was based on the fact that the F1 team was costing them too much considering that sales have not been what the company expected. It's obviously a reflection of the condition of the auto industry worldwide (Toyota is expecting a $3.8 billion loss for the year, but posted a $242 million profit for the quarter).
Some have actually touted this as being a break for the smaller teams, because they would not have as many manufacturers themselves to contend with. BMW and Honda have pulled out within the last year, but there are others obviously still on the grid. Ferrari is out there, as is Mercedes, which is buying into the defending champion Brawn GP team. Lotus is coming in next season as one of the new entrants, and Lotus Cars' parent company, Proton, is one of the partners.
Renault is the team that is in something of a limbo right now. On the heels of a scandal of major proportions involving former team principal Flavio Briatore and the pre-arranged crash of Nelson Piquet Jr. at Singapore last year, Renault, who employed Fernando Alonso (+225 to win next year's driver's title at BetUS), who has already skipped over to Ferrari, is pondering whether it wants to continue in F1 in 2010, and will come up with a decision by the end of the year. If they continue, they will have to come up with a ay to replace major sponsor IMG, which has pulled out.
The Toyota pullout was surely good news for one team in particular - the Sauber team, which lost the BMW support but picked up financial backing from Qadbak Holdings, was poised to be an "alternate" team, to be inserted in case somebody else pulled out, barring a special ruling that would have allowed 14 teams on the grid. This opens up possibilities for them.
Not so fast though, says the FIA, which will offer a legal challenge to this decision, based on the fact that it came after Toyota had already committed to staying in F1 through the 2012 season.
At the very least, they're going to use it as leverage.
The FIA is using the departure of Toyota as a way to facilitate more conversation on the subject of budget caps. This is not unlike baseball, in that the teams in the smaller markets probably wouldn't mind having a salary cap, but teams like the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox wouldn't hear of it. Well, think of Ferrari as the Yankees, Red Bull as the Dodgers and McLaren as the Red Sox (okay, Brawn GP is in there somewhere). The "haves" don't want to even the playing field with the "have-nots."
This battle was fought earlier in the season, when the FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) threatened to pull out en masse and start their own circuit. Ferrari blames FIA for the Toyota situation, saying that the organization has "waged war" against major car manufacturers.
At the same time, Ferrari would like to get the rules changed to allow each team to have a third car, because they are contemplating a return of Michael Schumacher in that car for 2010 (as much has been confirmed by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo).
It's the silly season, and drivers are now looking for rides. Kamui Kobayashi, who did well in a couple of races for Toyota as he subbed for the injured Timo Glock (100/1 for next year's title at BetUS), is hoping to wind up with the new Lotus team. Kobayashi finished fifth in the season finale at Abu Dhabi, and is almost certain to find a ride somewhere based on his confident efforts. The principals of the Toyota team say they'll help him in any way possible to find a seat.
The Williams team, which used Nico Rosberg (+1200 for next year's title at BetUS) and Kazuki Nakajima this past season as drivers, will have Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg in the cockpit in 2010. Barrichello finished third in the world championships with the Brawn GP team this year, while Hulkenberg is the champion of the GP2 series and has been a Williams test driver.
Bruno Senna, nephew of legendary F1 driver Ayrton Senna, will enter Formula One next year as a driver with the new Campos Meta 1 team. Senna would probably have been a member of the Honda team, had it not pulled out before the start of last season.
By the way, here is the initial list of future odds to win the Driver's Championship next season, as posted at BetUS Sportsbook:
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