Will BMW ever return to F1?

[Jax Humanhater]

I wish they would return as an engine supplier, or, better yet, see if they can supply engines exclusively for McLaren,

Though, I have never heard of BMW manufacturing a V6, because, their smaller cars have I6 engines and their larger car use the vee configuration starting with eight cylinders.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

agree
agree
correct

They left way to early but i guess it´s a totally different matter for a car company then it is for a privateer.

 

[Ketnix]

Car companies are too eager to leave after not securing results that they are looking at. Although I'd like to see a return of BMW as a works team.

I did read an article a few days ago about Honda being open to the idea of returning to F1 in the future.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

It´s not just that. If their core business (i.e selling cars) doesn´t go well or if it´s a recession then spending billions on Formula 1 is not very smart.
You have the motorsport department obviously loving F1 but then you have the economists that say it´s ridiculous spending billions in a "sport" when they struggle outside of it.

It´s a bit different as you have a board that looks on all aspects of the company which is different from a privateer team who has a board but that is only there for F1.

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

It´s not just that. If their core business (i.e selling cars) doesn´t go well or if it´s a recession then spending billions on Formula 1 is not very smart.

Thats the BMW excuse because they didn't have any success during their last attempt. The economy is bad for other car brands as well and they are in F1.

Still hope they return though,

 

[Hampus Andersson]

Thats the BMW excuse because they didn't have any success during their last attempt. The economy is bad for other car brands as well and they are in F1.

Still hope they return though,

Ahh you mean like Honda and Toyota who actually left when the board told them too?
They all have motorsport departments wanting to be in F1 but they are not the ones running the company.

Renault cut down on their operations so now only works as a engine supplier,
Mercedes jumped in during the end of the worst part of the recession so they kinda dodged a bullet.
I bet if they had joined in 2006 they would not be in F1 today.
I garnatuee you if they have no sucess in these next 3 years they will also leave, it would be a waste of money.

Mclaren and Ferrari are different, most of their F1 spending is actually not from themselves but it´s from sponsors.

The other thing is that when manufacturers go into F1, big manufacturers like BMW and Toyota they go big or go home.

They build not just an F1 team but all the facilities, wind tunnels etc.
It´s an enormous cost to have when you are in a recession.
BMW built several facilities, built the (at the time) fastest super computer in Europe (Albert)
built a wind tunnel etc.

Same with Toyota, to make that tunnel even viable today they have Mclaren and Ferrari leasing the tunnel.

Economists run companies, not motorsport enthusiasts working in a small sector of that car company.
They are not motorsport interested they just want to save money for the company.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

If BMW were winning in 09 the Motorsports department might have slightly more to say whether to pull out or not but it´s by no means a guarantee that the Economists and the board would not pull out at the end of 2009.

 

[Dmitry Zaharov]

I don't want to see BMW in F1. They left Williams without engines in 06 (and their 05 engine was crap) and then nearly killed Sauber team after embarrassing themselves in 09. Lets hope they'll stay away from F1.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

LOL Williams was the one who failed to win a championship with a superior engine.
Nearly killed Sauber? You probably forgot when they led the championship halway in 2008.
When has Sauber EVER been that competitive? Never.

It´s a mutual thing with BMW and Sauber. If they go back they will again buy Sauber then when they have to leave, Sauber takes over again.

P.S. you do realize the 05 engine was the same as the 04 engine, just slightly tweaked?
More power, less weight.

Where do you think Sauber got all their fancy facilities and wind tunnel from? Yea that´s right..

 

[Dmitry Zaharov]

It was like more weight and less power because they needed to make engine more relieble to meet new 05 regulations. Also Sauber introduced their big windtunnel in 04, 2 years before BMW took over.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

It was like more weight and less power because they needed to make engine more relieble to meet new 05 regulations. Also Sauber introduced their big windtunnel in 04, 2 years before BMW took over.

Not sure where that info came from, this below is from BMW themselves.
They kept the P84 and called it P84/5

They had an even more mental engine which they scrapped, the P85 due to twice as long engine life.

The 2004 regulations, which doubled the engine lifetime requirements, set the
tone for development work on the P84. Again, this was a case of incremental
development, with a particular focus on the most highly stressed and failurecritical components.
In order to ensure the reliability of such components – principally pistons, bearings
and valves – the engine’s maximum output initially had to be reduced by
approximately 10 hp, though this was quickly re-found. The P84/5 that finally
took to the grid for the 2005 season, although having to last for two race
weekends, was producing up to 950hp.

 

[Adrijan69]

One of the big automobile companies will probably return (join) in 2014 with new regulations. Just don't know if that will be BMW or maybe Honda, Toyota or even Wolksvagen..

 

[James Maskell]

Didn't honda go all out just before they pulled the deal? Put heaps of money into the car etc, then just dropped it. That Brawn was a very developed car. Im asking...