I know it's up on the 2015 rumours thread, but I think this deserves its own: Lots of rumours going around at the moment - biggest one being that Honda want to invest so that they can turn Manor into their own B-team, although Autosport think this is unlikely. It's expected that they would only be able to run their 2014 car due to a lack of development, which could put them at risk with the 107% rule (although drivers have only been excluded very rarely). http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117584 Thoughts?
Will make a nice home for kMag and Vandoorne if true, two competitive drivers who will help with the 107% issue. If Manor can get away with 'stealing' McLaren development then they may have a fighting chance.
It can only be a good thing for me. The more the merrier. And if Honda do buy in then they hopefully have a future.
Packaging of the Honda engine does look very good, so would it be much work to lever one into a Marussia chassis? Worked out well for Brawn when they had to bodge in a Mercedes engine a few years ago at the last minute!
good news, but uncompetitive engine in an uncompetitive car doesnt sound good. Better off sticking with ferrari and a ferrari driver like Marciello? Could be Alfa Romeo?
Weren't Ferrari one of the biggest creditors they had? If they think Honda were going to go in as well, may well cancel the contract, if they hadn't done so already. Doubt if Marussia have any engines in their factory at the moment.
Though it doesn't preclude them using their engines, neither Mclaren nor Ferrari are behind the administration exit. It appears to be a consortium of investors including ex-Sainsbury's boss Justin King.
I dont think this is good for F1 at all, however it is at loggerheads with my belief and desire that there needs to be more competitive teams in F1. A team that is unable to fufil its financial obligations and a seasons racing, to return the following year with an out of date package which was already a boarderline embarrasment (performance wise) is just not the required PR the sport needs. The due prize money from 2014 shoule be distributed between the creditors (as it would be any other business) and used as a financial package for the staff. All that will happen is that we will have a limping car, likely to be outside the 107% that will have a high % of not completing the full season.
@andrewbensonf1: Sport Bild's Ralf Bach is reporting the strategy group today rejected Marussia's request to run 2014 cars this year http://t.co/CKw8csxBMb
What's worse is that it's Vijay Mallya who vetoed it. He's so desperate for a share of the tenth place prize money that he's screwed Marussia over, despite all his talk at the end of the last season about how important it is to preserve the small teams. God that makes me angry. I hope Force India have an awful season now. Sorry Hulk.
**** you Vijay hope you go bankrupt screwing the fans out of more racing you chicken piece of ****. WEC gets bigger as they wish to preserve the sport as a whole, F1 gets smaller as teams just want to **** on us as well as other teams for the $$$. No fans = No F1!
Formula Money @FormulaMoney 3m3 minutes ago With only 9 teams competing the prize money for finishing last in the constructors' championship jumps from $10m to $54m. Formula Money @FormulaMoney 7m7 minutes ago Independent: Marussia voted off the grid as rival teams take their £34m share of prize-money http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing/f1-marussia-voted-off-the-grid-as-rival-teams-take-their-34m-share-of-prizemoney-10027499.html… #F1 Classy...real classy
That really sucks. Money is totally spoiling this sport. I wouldn't be surprised if Bernie was behind it all.
Yet again some people looking at their own personal interests rather than that of the sport. I hope Vijay gets sounded out about this and publicly shown to be a complete hypocrite.
In a way, he certainly is behind it all. If the smaller teams weren't so frozen out in terms of receiving a fair share of money generated by the sport, then: 1 - Force India wouldn't be so desperate to veto Marussia's return; and 2 - Marussia would not have fallen into administration in the first place. Furthermore, wholesale, and no doubt very expensive, rule changes are pencilled in for 2017 which will pile even further financial pressure on the teams who will have survived that far. Let's not forget that Marussia's biggest creditor is Ferrari for the price of the last expensive engine change.
@RacecarEngineer: Manor could modify the upper part of the monocoque to meet the new rules and re crash test - probably impossible before Oz GP though.
Bernie has made it no secret he doesnt want Manor or Caterham on the grid and his wish is coming true. Also the rumour was that the former Sainsburys boss guy was part of the take over. Wasnt he once mooted as a potential new FOM leader by CVC? Im sure Bernie would hate to see him get a foothold in the sport. Also will all that extra prize money really get split between the teams or will some of it go in his own back pocket?
