New engines may interest Japanese manufacturers

F1 Fanatic round-up

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Rubens Barrichello, Honda, Shanghai, 2008

Renault’s managing director believes the 2013 engine rules could bring the likes of Honda back to F1.

Links

Caubet: Japanese could return to F1 (Crash)

“Jean Francois Caubet, the managing director of Renault, has said that Japanese carmakers are reconsidering the prospect of returning to F1 when new engine rules come into play for the 2013 season.”

Whitmarsh to stay on as FOTA chairman (Autosport)

“With FOTA having made solid progress this year – including the framing of a revised Resource Restriction Agreement to help bring down costs in the future – it was felt among teams during a meeting last week that it would be best for Whitmarsh to stay on board since the current structure appeared to be working well.”

Jenson Button gets ready for 2011 F1 season in triathlon with his girlfriend (Metro)

Jenson Button’s preparations for the new Formula One season are well under way after he took part in a triathlon in Australia, along with girlfriend Jessica Michibata.”

Teen star Alex Pettyfer set to star as legendary racing driver James Hunt in new major Hollywood film (Daily Mail)

“British actor Alex Pettyfer is to star as racing driver James Hunt in a major Hollywood film about the race ace’s life.”

Tiff Needell on Twitter

“OK finished writing autobiography, due out next April but struggling for good photos of Rally GB ’92 and ’96, Kyalami ’86, Daytona 24 Hours ’83, ’91 and ’95.”

Via the F1 Fanatic live Twitter app

A Christmas message from Sebastian Vettel (F1)

“We had a truly fantastic season – even though it was a long and at times a pretty tough one for me: a rollercoaster ride with a very happy ending!”

Comment of the day

MouseNightshirt wants to see Timo Glock get a better drive:

It took this list to remind me how good a job Glock actually did this season. He really did shine in that Virgin – I just hope he doesn’t waste his peak years in such a pig-ended car.
MouseNightshirt

From the forum

Lots of debate over who will get the remaining Force India seats.

Site updates

If you haven’t tried it yet have a go with the Live F1 Twitter app designed by Jamie which was launched yesterday. You can also find a link to it in the menu at the top of the page.

Happy birthday!

A very happy birthday to Dan M!

On this day in F1

It’s been exactly one year since I announced I would be leaving my old job to work on F1 Fanatic full time. It’s been a very busy time since then but the site has continued to grow and I’m very happy with its progress so far. It’s amazing how quickly the time has passed, though!

Thanks very much to everyone who’s been reading the site throughout the year, and special thanks to the many of you who have sent donations to help pay for the upkeep of the site.

I’ve got many more plans for improvements to the site in the future. Here’s to an even better 2011!

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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53 comments on “New engines may interest Japanese manufacturers”

  1. 1st comment of the day!! :)

    Also it’s my birthday today! Can I have a mention please keith? x

    1. happy birthday Grace

    2. Happy birthday to Dan M and Grace here!.

      Having a birthday so near xmas?, double the presents! lucky sods.

      1. Unlucky everyone else having to buy double the presents ;)

    3. I wish you a very Happy Birthday Grace!

      First on your feet it seems as well.

    4. Happy birthday to you too Grace!

    5. jimscreechy (@)
      21st December 2010, 9:21

      Happy Birthday Grace

    6. Happy birthday to Dan M and Grace! I was busy on the actual day, so I am reading the old articles only now. Sorry for the belated wishes, but I hope you had an enjoyable day. :)

  2. Well, I would personally welcome Honda back with open arms. A proper racing outfit, with an ethos that could only strengthen F1. Add to that tha small turbocharged engines are their expertise and we are on to a proper winner. Toyota on the other hand arent going to be in for the long haul. I know both left the sport, but there is a differnce between not being able to afford F1 racing, and just not coming up with a win – Im looking at BMW as well, and to a limited extent Renault.

    Ideally Honda and Toyota will just become engine suppliers rather than full blown contructors. Hopefully along with Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault and Cosworth, Porsche and Honda will come in to supply engines (maybe even Ford too, or is that wishful thinking?).

    1. Well with all the fuss Ford is making about its new line of ecoboost engines, it would sure make sense for them to enter F1 and use that ecoboost hype there.

    2. How about a factory Super Aguri Honda team, with Kobayashi and Sato?

      Now that would be a popular team!

  3. I’m glad Whitmarsh is staying on as FOTA chairman. It might be called the Formula One Teams’ Association, but FOTA was and almost always has been a manufacturer initiative. One of the big problems in the mid-year political crisis was that the manufacturers were using FOTA to serve heir needs, rather than the needs of all the teams. It was pretty obvious since every major player in FOTA at the time was associated with a manufactuer: Luca di Montezemolo (Ferrari) as Chairman and John Howett (Toyota) as his second in command. Not to mention that when FOTA met to discuss the rules, they always did so on manufacturer territory – first they met on Braitore’s (Renault) yacht in Monaco, and then they met at Enstone (also Renault) twice just before they announced the breakaway. FOTA really should have been called FOMA. But as Martin Whitmarsh is from McLaren and McLaren are no longer the unofficial Mercedes works team, hopefully the actual teams will get a say this time around. It also helps that no one manufacturer has influence over privateer teams through engine deals; the three new teams have thinned out the grid and the influence of manufactuers over their customers.

    1. You are right, it seems that with Briatore and Luca calling the shots with Howett it was still very much the manufacturers organisation and their personal PR machine.

      Withmarsh seems more of a representative for all the teams and is carefull not to say or do things against their opinions. And it seems it makes FOTA work together all the better for it.

    2. McLaren is heading towards a more manufacturer future, producing road cars too.

  4. Congrats on your first year striking it out on your own, Keith! It seems like it’s been a joyous ride for you so far and I would say I’m jealous, but I’m kinda in the same boat having made my video work my full time gig since May. Best of luck to you as you continue. I’ve been enjoying this season all the more with this site.

    1. Just out of curiosity, Keith … what was your old job?

      1. f1 driver? ecclestone’s secret agent?

      2. He was a journo for Auto Trader, I do believe

        1. Yep that’s right.

    2. Exactly, the site has become so full of news and interesting articles. It’s a really top blog now.
      And just as fast with the news as Jarno Trulli can be in qualifying.

  5. NewBoyLewisFan
    21st December 2010, 1:15

    Even though i only recently started posting, i have been reading this site for a while now and its by far and away the best F1 site anywhere!!! Keep up the good work Keith!!!!!

    1. Agreed, there is no point of visiting any other F1 websites. This is like a one stop shop that has everything we need and want. Thanks Keith

      1. News – as soon as there’s a new development it’s on here;
        Photos – some of the best pictures from the Grands Prix;
        Videos – some excellent videos;
        Forum – the perfect place to talk with F1 Fanatics all over the World;
        And it’s all in one place!

  6. I’d just like to add my congratulations on your first year of running the site full time. I remember this move being one of the main reasons F1 Fanatic became my favourite F1 site and I’m full of admiration for your courage in taking the plunge. The move from being a fansite to a true motorsport resource has been outstanding. Best wishes for a long successful career.

    1. jimscreechy (@)
      21st December 2010, 9:23

      Shuddup Fool! just kidding,

  7. You are really working hard Keith & we hope that 2011 will be even harder work for you which will make this site even better for us.

  8. Hear hear Keith…good luck

  9. It is the best F1 site hands down, although it makes me waste time I should be spending on writing essays, like umm… now. Especially since I only have three hours to go!

    F1fanatic is epic :).

  10. “There are precise rules for the costs, the materials, the number of engines per season and the rev limit. Technologically, we have great freedom. Everyone starts with a blank sheet of paper. May the best win.”

    That sounds great, Lets just hope it happens that way.
    On the other hand, despite me liking the idea of Honda coming back, can you really see them doing it? after what happened with Brawn GP?

    Also, if they wanted to come back, surely they would want their old team back, you know, the one owned by Mercedes.

    Of course… I drool at the idea that Honda start again from scratch, as Lotus, Virgin and HRT have done.
    But I’m sure that’s wishful thinking.

    And of course! Congrats on the anniversary Keith!

    1. Honda would return as an engine supplier, not a works team. Same with VW in all likelihood.

      1. If they could ever return as a team depends very much on how the Brawn year has been percieved in Japan. If the perception was that its basically a Honda that won, then they might. If the perception was that Brawn did what Honda was unable to, then they certainly won’t for a long long time, if ever. That would be shameful and humiliating for them, which, in Japan is a really big thing.

    2. There isn’t a grid slot available for new teams at the moment, which rules out new manufacturer teams unless someone like HRT or Virgin drop out.

      Or, they could join forces with an existing team on the grid. I see this as a more likely outcome than being solely an engine supplier. The reason for this is that they don’t have the luxury of Bernie forcing all the new teams to use their engine, like Cosworth. Secondly, with better integration with an F1 team, the team and the engine manufacturer will be able to work together closely to hopefully get better results. Thirdly, they are car manufacturers, the value they get out of being an engine manufacturer is much less than being an F1 car maker. Renault doesn’t get the credit for Red Bull winning the constructors championship, Red Bull does.

      I think Williams is the most likely team to join forces with a manufacturer. They want to be successful again, but they must know that isn’t going to happen when they are lumbered with a sub-par Cosworth engine. Sauber is also likely to attract attention (particularly if Kobayashi stays put).

      1. HounslowBusGarage
        21st December 2010, 9:07

        There isn’t a grid slot available for new teams at the moment, which rules out new manufacturer teams unless someone like HRT or Virgin drop out.

        I thought the place for the thirteenth team was available for 2011, it was just that the FIA didn’t think much of the applicants back in the summer and didn’t award it. The same grid slots will be available in 2012, won’t they?

        1. Yeah the 13th slot is still available for 2012. But with a whole new formula for 2013 perhaps people will hold off until then.

  11. Keith, I’d hate to think you were letting all this praise inflate your ego. So, can I just say I hate your website, I think it’s nothing but a waste of cyberspace, and I recommend that you close it down immeadiately!

    1. you forgot to say he is clearly prejudiced against Ferrari and favors McLaren unfairly. ;D

      1. And stealing far to much of our valuable time ;-)

        1. I second that remark, shame on you Keith!

  12. Congrats on the year of full-time-fanaticism Keith, you’ve certainly made my year much more enjoyable!

  13. Lewis Hamilton
    21st December 2010, 6:55

    I dont blame the man for having a favourite team. As much as he needs to remain as neutral as possible, if any1 is a F1 fanatic, they will always have a team they prefer over others, and personally, i dont blame keith for not favouring that red clad team ordering unsporting outfit.

    1. I don’t have a favourite team and I’m getting rather bored of your snide insinuations.

  14. Rubens driving a Honda in 2010?!?!?!?! Is that correct Keith?

    1. Got the caption wrong – changed it now, thanks.

  15. I’ll add one more to the pile of congratulations on a courageous move of which you’re making the most. Onwards and Upwards!

  16. Really a great job you’re doing, Keith! I hope it pays well! Keep up the good work!

    1. HounslowBusGarage
      21st December 2010, 14:17

      Ditto!

  17. I’ve always found Keith impartial, not always agreed with his comments but he in no way ‘favours’ anyone! I suppose you cant keep everyone happy and when your team break rules you defend them against ‘cynical British fanboy media’ go look back to how the ‘liegate’ scandal was put across!! Anyways on topic congrats on anniversary exciting times ahead by the sounds of things!! Oh and as for engines 2013 we should have Ferrari, Mercedes, Cosworth, Renault and Mclaren! Would like to add Honda, Porsche and VW, all just as suppliers! That would be brilliant!!!

  18. Interesting piece in bbc sport website about aero changes for 2013 worth a look.

    1. Read it and feel slightly disappointed that wont be a return to the skirts, but on the positive anyone who doesn’t like the proposed changes google the Lotus 79, black beauty!

  19. If this would bring in more teams, then they might change the starting grid formation from two to three for every row. Talk about getting caught in traffic.

  20. I would personally love to see Toyota back. with a profi-maiking business in cologne i dont see why they cant supply F1 with engines.

Comments are closed.