"Honda Racing" in 2007?

[crozier74]

Looking at it now, I'm surprised this hasn't occured to me earlier, or for that matter been discussed here before.

Just a few simple yet well known facts, but when all added together make a realistic conclusion:-

1) B.A.R. have suggested over the winter months that of move of base to Japan within the next few years is a serious possibility.
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2) Honda are constantly increasing their ties with B.A.R. The team's decision to hire Takuma Sato was quite probably driven by Honda. Their performance over the winter months has been encouraging, and is justified of a manufacturer effort, which, like BMW_Williams and McLaren-Mercedes, the team virtually is. If these performances can be repeated over the course of the season (particularly in relation to Toyota), then the Tokyo men are likely to be suitably impressed.
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3) The Europe-wide ban on tobacco advertising in 2006 is likely to have a major impact on B.A.T.'s future involvement in the sport, and murmurs of a possible name change (including speculative guesses such as Dalarna and Lotus) have been rife for more than a year.
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Honda Racing in 2007???

Effectively, the team would be the same as B.A.R. in all but name and livery. This is just pure speculation on my part, and I don't pretend it to be anything more than that. But the very possibility of one of the most famous names of F1's yesteryear returning is certainly an intriguing one.

[ASCII Man]

I won't object to it if they use their rising sun livery from the 60's again.

[Mr V]

If the BAR name is not changed to Honda racing in 2007 then imo, it means that Honda are no longer in F1.

[Raglanparade]

Yeah i have a feeling it will become Honda Racing, but probably with a new primary sponsor. So it will be something Honda, just like Renualt is Mild Seven Renault.
Why can't F1 just accept that tobacco adversting is just not acceptable anywhere in the world. Instead of trying to avoid the ban by going to the Middle East and Japan, China, India, Turkey.. why cant they just accept the fact that tobacco kills people and shouldnt be advertised !!
there are teams out there that make ends meet without tobacco adversting. Williams and Jaguar can have a f1 budget without tobacco, why cant the other teams just stop whinging and accept that its gonna be that way.
Maybe if tobacco wasnt in the sport then we would see cost cutting happen as there just simply wouldnt be the funds spend stupid amounts of cash.

-jason

[Mr V]

I think the your arguement is for another thread Jason, but would just like to say, it's not advertising, but people deciding themselves to smoke that (apparently) kills people

[BSchneiderFan]

But I have heard rumours of Prodrive buying BAT's share in the team. I wouldn't rule out Prodrive-Honda.

[golem]

Personally, I'd like to see Honda buy out Lotus full stop. Lotus can tune suspensions and chassis for Honda specials, Honda can provide the awesome engines for things like Elise, and we can see the Lotus name reappear in F1 for Lotus - Honda.

I can dream, can't I?

[Smokey 6 litre]

i think Honda will rise to the challenge of Toyota and have moreimput into BAR, whether they keep the name or not is too be seen or have an arangement like BMW Williams.

[John Abrahamsen]

BAR (British American Tobacco) will be out of the sport when the countries start banning tobacco adds. Even u-lands have start banning tobacco adds so Bernies fight will eventually be lost. When this happens BAT will remove their support for BAR and Honda will have to take over for their own. BAT=BAR will sell hole company to Honda, and they will continue as Honda Racing.

[Alex K]

After F1 Racing: BRING BACK LOTUS!!

[Jukebox]

Japan is the most advanced country in terms of technology...a transfer would benefit a lot

[RWC]

Originally posted by Jukebox
Japan is the most advanced country in terms of technology...a transfer would benefit a lot

Not quite true.
Japan has allways been very good at leading technology where there is a benifit to selling something.General technical leaders they are not.
They certainly can go head to head with the best of them when the choose to-f1 engines in the late eighties being the example we all like to remember.But the circumstances are different now..back then they had a massive,confident economy and honda were spending "as much as it took" to do the job.
Now the economy is in terminal decline,pennies must be pinched and they can't be seen to be spending stunning amounts on f1 while they are laying of workers.

[BootsOntheSide]

I'd actually quite passionately against the return of the Lotus name. Colin Chapman was responsible for all manner of technical and marketing innovations, and gave first or crucial drives to legends such as Clark, Mansell, Graham Hill, Peterson and Andretti. Bringing the name back as a front for Honda would not be the same. Reducing such an evocative name to a mere marketing tool would make Colin turn in his grave.

The notion of BAR becoming plain Honda has been mentioned in passing in other threads, and seems quite likely to me. If Jaguar and the rest all continue, and Mercedes buy the rest of McLaren when Ron turns 60 (which is thought to be likely), 5 of Hodna's rivals will have their own teams,a dn they can't be seen to be left behind. Of course it does depend on performance - when the team does badly, people who don't closely follow racing tend to blame BAR rather than Honda, and Hodna get the bulk of the acclaim for success.