Renault may yet withdraw from F1 as a constructor

[FB]

A Russian wants to buy 40% of the Renault F1 team according to a Finnish journo. Not much other detail.

Ruski Renault

Wasn't there a rumour about Abromovich buying an F1 team a few years ago?

 

[bogaTYR]

ever since midland i take all those russian rumours with bags of salt. nothing as changeble as a russian millionaire, even worse then the weather!

 

[FB]

Gird your loins boys and girls - Kubica off to Mercedes and Flabio to make a come back renaming Renault "Briatore Grand Prix". Perhaps we need a competition to suggest teams names? How about "Cheater Grand Prix Racing", "No Conscience Motor Sport", "Fat Man F1"

I don't believe it!

 

[cider_and_toast]

That's the sort of crazy thing that could only happen in F1.

I reckon Flabio will call his team.

"Fa-Q-Max"

 

[teabagyokel]

How about a Superleague style - "Queens Park Rangers Racing" or...

• Giro Diciassette F1 Team
• Destruction Derby Racing
• Wall-Bounce F1
• Safety Car F1 team
• Fernando Alonso F1
• Team Evil
• Scuderia Solo Ghiandolari

 

[Brogan]

Yet more rumours of Renault quitting.

Renault is working out a plan to leave Formula 1 before the start of next season, according to L’Equipe newspaper in France. If it goes through, the sport will have lost four major manufacturers in the space of twelve months, including Honda, BMW and Toyota.

A team has been charged by Renault president Carlos Ghosn with making a study into the possibility of striking a deal with Prodrive’s David Richards to take the team on.

Renault on point of quitting F1: deal with Prodrive under study

I bet they're laughing into their wine glasses, having got away with fixing the 2008 Singapore GP with no punishment whatsoever.

 

[snowy]

I am rather hoping that Prodrive get to buy the Renault team and make it to the grid next year.
It would be one int the eye for Max (whip me) Mosley. He went to a lot of trouble to keep Dave Richard's out.

 

[fedupwithuserids]

Snowy said :

It would be one int the eye for Max (whip me) Mosley. He went to a lot of trouble to keep Dave Richard's out.

He also wanted Ron Dennis and Flav out. He's succeeded with Flav, Ron made an appearance at the end of the season, fail on that one.

Also don't hold your breath Todt might turn out to be Max's puppet, you don't spend 16 years being a dictator to hand all the power to someone else.

Back on thread - I agree with Snowy, hopefully Prodrive will succeed.

 

[cider_and_toast]

The funny thing is that while the Max/Fota conflict (it was never big enough to be a war) was on it was all about budget caps and protecting manufacturers from rising costs to keep them in the sport versus FOTA's own ideas on the same lines. Once the conflict came to it's stuttering end and a line drawn under it with the apointment of Jean Todt in place of Max it should have seen the FOTA teams popping the champaigne corks and party hats and cake all round. So why hasn't it worked out that way.

Toyota and BMW have legged it for the lifeboat and now it seems Renault have got one foot in the boat as well. Meanwhile the good ship F1 seems to sail on without too much trouble and plenty more passengers want to jump onboard. It remains to be seen if the newcomers have paid too much for a ticket or weather Captain Todt or first mate Ecclestone still keep the ship steady as she goes through the ice field. The number of small bergs that have punched holes in the hull of the good ship F1 in the last few years would have sank lesser sports however it would seem that First Mate Bernie keeps the pumps running and manages to get just enough water out stop the whole thing going down.

Where did all this nautical stuff come from? Why am I talking to myself? Tune in next week on soap.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Reading this article released on Autosport today, It's not so much "If" Renault vote to pull out at their board meeting but a case of "When" Renault pull out, which interested party are they going to sell their entry to?

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80475

 

[fat jez]

Yeah, I saw that, CAT. I'm assuming they will continue as an engine supplier. If not, RB have some very quick redesigns to do, since I believe Newey gave up waiting for the decision to be made on the power source and started designing the car around a Renault engine!

 

[FB]

Apparently Gerard Lopez (who? hrug is going head to head with Dave Richards to buy Renault, although Bernie is still stirring the pot by claiming there are two other people interested (him and Max perhaps to hike up the price?)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8403443.stm

If you are interested to know who Mr Lopez is you can contact hime via this website

http://www.mangrove-vc.com/p/team.html

 

[teabagyokel]

Maybe Bernie's prefered bidder has to fight a court case before taking up the reins...

 

[teabagyokel]

On an utterly unrelated note, QPR have suspended their manager, Jim Magilton. This has all the hallmarks of Senor Trigger-happio in my opinion; but who knows?

 

[Brogan]

Breaking News!

Renault are staying in F1 as a minority shareholder.

The Renault team will race on in Formula 1 next year after a deal was struck to secure its future, BBC Sport has learned.

The company had considered its future in F1, but sources say its team will continue under new owners with Renault keeping a minority shareholding.

A private announcement to the team is at its headquarters on Friday with an official announcement next week.

The team name is unclear but it seems the car will race as a Renault.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8407138.stm

 

[snowy]

Well it's good news for Red Bull and the guys at the Renault factory.

 

[fat jez]

Well it's good news for Red Bull and the guys at the Renault factory.

Yeah, no need to do a Brawn now and shoe-horn an engine into the chassis!

 

[FB]

Renault have sold 75% of their race team to Genii Capital but Kubica may be off. Also read somewhere that they have confirmed a supply of engines to Red Bull.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8415935.stm