BMW pondering a return to F1 as an engine manufacturer?

BMW still holds the record for the most powerful engine every fielded in F1,  1430 hp out of 1500cc in qualifying (i.e. it will blow up after three laps) trim in the late 80s.  But the Bavarian's second try at F1 as a race team ended rather badly,  just gave up and quit in 2009.

The new hybrid engine formula has piqued the interest of more manufacturers.  Honda will enter the battle in 2015, there are whispers Ford might revive Cosworth's stillborn design and now BMW is said to be mulling a return to Formula 1 as an engine builder.

The source is Giancarlo Minardi who points to a steady presence of Roundel connected engineers observing F1 testing and rumors from Germany of a May decision date in front of the BMW board of directors for a return, possibly as early as 2015.  The project is being promoted by BMW's marketing arm via Dr. Steven Althus, Director of Brand Management.

That BMW would even consider a return to F1 would be a big coup for the proponents of the new regulations, and possibly a help for economically struggling teams.

Sauber is an obvious choice but what if Red Bull's relations with Renault go sour this season?  The prospect of a Red Bull BMW must look quite tasty both in Munich and Salzburg.

Win one for Jean Todt over Mr. E in their continuing power struggle for control of the circus.

F1 News and Rumor Roundup, Bahrain Edition.

F1 going supermodel waif endangering drivers?

Of course it is,  when you have a situation where some of the most fit,  thinnest  athletes in the world are forced to perform in a state of dehydration  to meet 692 kg weight minimums, you have a  problem waiting to happen.

Post Kimi F1 rumor roundup.

Romain Grosjean at Monza. Glenn Dunbar/Lotus F1 Team.

In the wake of Raikkonen's hiring there have been a couple of interesting "buzz" news that go like this:

Photo: RenaultSport

Lotus F1 Team might become Renault:

The engine manufacturer, tired of having low R.O.I. in F1 with Vettel, Newey and Red Bull Infiniti getting all the credit would exchange a free engine supply to the Enstone team for naming rights.

Certainly a return to the Yellow and Blue/Black liveries would be welcomed by fans but I  cannot imagine Renault would tie its name to a team that has just lost its star driver and engineering talents.

Massa might end up at Williams:

Petrobras dollars would replace PDVSA dollars.  I would think Williams would jump at that and with Mercedes engines coming to the team it could be a good ride for Massa.   More buzz is that Rob Smedley would follow "Philip" to Sir Frank's team.


Ferrari has poached more Lotus talent:

This is not a rumor,  along with James Alison,  the Scuderia hired long time lotus aero man Dirk de Beer.  See above.

Ferrari plan a return to Le Mans, Kimi In red and other fun summer rumors.

The summer break does not mean magazines and web sites shut down and, with little real news to report, there is much space for rumor and speculation.  Here is a quick roundup of the most entertain bits floating around.

Ferrari back at Le Mans?

Ferrari planning a return to Le Mans LMP1

This would of course be awesome for endurance racing and, with the return of Porsche to the top category would mean a return to the glory days of the series when Ferrari fought with other top manufacturers for top class honors at the French classic.

Ferrari would be able to utilize the same hybrid turbo engines as in F1 and would be able to take advantage of its wind tunnel, now underutilized because of F1 resource limitation rules.    Ferrari would also compete directly with top manufactures, Audi, Porsche, Toyota, perhaps Honda and Nissan as opposed to "Soft drink manufacturers" as Luca di Montezemolo likes to refer to Red Bull.

Of course, if you are a regular reader you are well familiar with Ferrari's periodic threats to leave F1 used as a bargaining tool for better deals and the cost of a full competitive LMP1 program would surely be a stretch.

Kimi in Red

Kimi Raikkonen back in red.

According to the German Bild, Ferrari have topped Red Bull's offer to the Finn of $15M plus bonuses plus sponsorship for his motocross and hockey teams.

Why would Ferrari make an offer to the driver it dumped with one year left on his contract in order to grab Fernando Alonso?    Well,  fans would love to see it but this is more likely Ferrari shooting back after the Red Bull rumors which now seem to have been, clumsily, orchestrated by team Alonso.   Nobody is untouchable is the message from Maranello.
Reality though is that unless Lotus can come up with cash to pay Raikkonen, he will be Vettel's teammate in 2014.

Bibendum and the amazing Karin Wilzig

Michelin wants back in F1

Pirelli have yet to finalize their agreement with Formula One beyond the current season and the French tire giant, who left the series after the 2006 season, had expressed an interest in bidding for the contract.

A tire war, with Michelin competing with Pirelli on track, is unlikely as it would distract from the new 2014 spec "eco" engines, very much the pet project of FIA president Jean Todt.     While it would not be impossible for Michelin to prepare tires for 2014 F1 season even at this relatively late date (Pirelli made all new tires for the German GP in 3 days),  Bibendum's team has said in the past said it it would like to get rid of F1 high sidewall balloon tires in favor of something that looks more like a consumer product. and that would require major design changes to the cars.
While not out of the question, figure this rumor to be more of a pressure tool on Pirelli in the short term.

F1 Rumor Roundup: Red Bull money, Ferrari aero and a Bahrain fight.

As always, make of them what you will...

A number of teams are rumored to be so upset by Red Bull breaking the FOTA agreement on spending that they are questioning why the team is part of an organization whose roles it does not follow.

At Monaco there were, story goes, words between Stefano Domenicali and Christian Horner about the amount on money Red Bull spends on team and personnel (have you seen the floating hospitality center in Monaco?) . As usual Red Bull have a clever answer and "reading of the rules", Horner claimed it's all fine as the team uses external subcontractors...

So Ferrari is mad, a number of other teams are mad, Mclaren has not yet taken a position either way, Marting Whitmarsh being FOTA's president...



Ferrari is looking for a new aerodynamicist, the name making the rounds is current Mclaren, ex Renault, ex Ferrari John Iley. He would step in for Nikolas Tobazis who would then be freed of wind tunnel duties and either free to work on the 2012 car or go fishing depending on who you believe.



Finally, nobody wants Formula 1 in December ( not unless you had it in Finland with the cars using studded Pirelli Sottozero's, we say!). The only guy really standing up for what's right seems to be Ross Brawn. Good Luck to him, there is more than anyone knows riding on Bernie showing his CVC partners he can deliver profits under all and all adversity....

.

Rumor roundup: Toyota next to quit Formula 1 and Kimi's points deal.

There's a rumor that Toyota has a sent a letter to its employees telling them to start looking for jobs. Toyota's future in F1 will be decided in November but the fact that Williams is already looking for an engine deal is a pretty good clue.

Contingent on him finding a ride elsewhere for 2010, Ferrari is rumored to be proposing a deal where they would pay Raikkonen a bonus for every point Ferrari scores rather than paying his severance all at once. However Ferrari is in a pickle, what if Massa is not the same when he returns?

Home

Formula 1 rumor roundup

Let's face it, sometimes there is not a whole lot to discuss between races...or is there? Let's examine a few of the rumors floating around before the British GP.








Rumor #1: David Coulthard turns in on Formula 1 career.

The speculation is that the square jawed Scot will use the occasion of the British GP to announce he is finally moving full time into the hotel business. Presumably DC got into the hospitality industry so that he would always have room for his many girlfriends because DC not only has the fourth best point scoring record (533) but also worked his skirt on a considerable considerable carnet of conquests.




Coulthard also holds the record for most embarrassing promotional tie in ever when he took to the podium in Monaco with a Superman cape. In the picture even Montoya looks embarrassed!





Rumor #2: Senna in F1.

Bruno Senna is a marketer's no brainer so if he is anything better than competent he will get an F1 ride. So far rumors have him close to BMW or Red Bull/STR.




Rumor #3: Tony Stewart?

This is by far the best one. As reported by GrandPrix.com, this would be the next step in the birth of an American Formula 1 team. It could not be more bizarre as it involves a man currently in jail for tax fraud... just the stuff F1 is made of! Let's read:

"The future of Tony Stewart remains a talking point in NASCAR. The 2002 and 2005 champion, is now close to doing a deal to leave Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and rumours say that he could buy into Haas CNC Racing.
What does this have to do with F1? Haas CNC racing is funded by machine tool magnate Gene Haas, who is currently in jail for tax evasion. He is due to be released in October 2009. It is speculated that Haas may move on from NASCAR and could be the man to help bankroll the rumoured American F1 Honda team. Haas is also the owner of the Wind Shear windtunnel in Charlotte and employs Ken Anderson, the man who is tipped to be heading the F1 team.

Haas's company Haas Automation is one of the largest computerized numerical control machine manufacturers in the world, selling around 12,000 machining centers and lathes every year. The company is aiming to raise its turnover to $2bn by 2015, which will require manufacturing outside the USA. The firm recently opened its first non-US facility in Shanghai and is trying to cash in on the booming markets in Asia and the Middle East. A Formula 1 project thus makes a lot of sense for the company."

GP.com looks to have pulled the article...perfect rumor material!