BMW has this morning announced that it will quit Formula One at the end of the 2009 season.
At a press conference with all of Beemer’s top bods, they made some noises about ‘a resolute step in our company’s realignment’ and ‘continually reviewing projects for future viability and sustainability’.
I’m sure all of that reasoning would be ignored had BMW not built a total dog of a car this season.
BMW were fighting at the front for most of last year, with Robert Kubica even in the hunt for the World Drivers’ Championship.
But despite strong protests from the Pole, the team decided to stop developing its ’08 car with several races still to go, and instead focus on this year’s.
It seems that BMW would have done well to listen to its driver, and carried on last year’s challenge.
So to 2010. What will happen to Kubica and Nick Heidfeld?
With three new teams on the grid next season – Campos, USF1 and Manor – either BMW driver would be a great asset.
But I’ll go out on a limb and speculate that if/when Fernando Alonso goes to Ferrari, Kubica would be a shoe-in to replace him at Renault…
First commet!!!
This year really hasnt been for bmw. It would of been good if they stayed for next year though becuase the more teams there are the better.
Maybe the loss of BMW will open the door for Prodive/ Aston Martin? It would be a welcome addition to F1, with Kubica either there or Renault.
Considering Piquet mouthed off about Flavio the other day, they could both end up at Renault next season, especially if Raikonnen is off rallying and Alonso fills his boots.
Robert Kubica is loved in Italia so he could be a 2010 Ferrari driver, never know.
BMW had a really bad year and they could have had some brilliant results if they’d taken things one step at a time and listened to the drivers.
kubica must be really angry first
first they ignore him and don’tb deveolp the 08 car
then this years car is rubbish
and now bmw have pulled out
robert and nick are going to end stuck with a rubbish team but they be able to do what hill did in hungary 1997
If BMW quit, can Aston take their place? Please
In 2007 Kubica was really unlucky, the car kept breaking down all the season, in Japan or China he was leading when the gearbox broke down 15 laps to go.
2008 was better, I mean the first half, the other was worse because they were focusing on 09 car. he won Canada GP, came 2nd, 3rd, 4th several times.
2009 is a disaster, they are the worst team. Force India is better.
I can’t understand one thing. Mario T. kept saying : we are improving all the time, the things are going in the right direction.
and what?
a dog of a car!!!
BMW -a sports brand, sheer driving pleasure- can’t build a decent F1 car
I hope potential customers will think what they pay for when they consider buying one.
Premium price for rubbish performance!!!
I share the same view as TW & Ben… hopefully they’ll get Prodrive involved.
One more thing…
When it comes to Kubica’s future
The most likely scenario is Renault, both drivers are likely to leave the team
Ferrari is not out of the question, that depends on Massa’s recovery.
Brawn is also possible, as Barichello is not a good “team player”
Williams- to replace Nico
one of the new teams.
he’s too good to be unemployed next season
I’m not buying this “realigning” business. This is nothing but sour grapes. They built a rubbish car and made no real improvements throughout the year.
BMW have to much pride. They couldn’t stand the heat of being the worst team on the grid so they had to get out of the kitchen.
I just hope Kubica gets a decent drive next year. I’d say Renault could well be in the market.
Adn I hope Heidfeld retires. That guy is as boring as a stick!!! Actually, worse, you could play with a stick!!
How about this one, Sauber pulls a “Brawn”,get his factory and the rest of the team back for let ’s say one euro, keeps Kubica and Heidfeld, motors from let’s say Toyota and all is fixed. I guess BW will also pull out of the WTCC now.
Kubica is very unlucky but when BMW will quit F1 in my opinion Robert will get a biggest chance in his story on progres and win ! ! !
Pozdrowiena z Polski Robert.
More or less to be expected, as much of a shame as it is. The sales results for their road cars just hasn’t been as good as they’d like and if nothing else BMW have been ruthlessly business like in their approach to F1. I’m not sure they would have pulled out though if all the political nonsense in F1 hadn’t happened.
If Max had kept the teams in the loop on his plans internally instead of publishing his rules before consulting the teams; if Max had just kept to his words instead of going back on them three times in a row; if a concorde agreement would have been signed when it was due to be signed instead of once again having to negotiate about rubbish only marginally to do with what the concorde agreement was supposed to be about; if the kers system that BMW pushed so hard for, had been mandatory so everyone would have had the same struggle to divide attention between developing it and the aerodynamics of the car and as a result been much closer to the likes of BMW, Renault, Ferrari and McLaren.
I think if all these things hadn’t happened, the results (which would have been different anyway) wouldn’t have mattered quite so much.
Kubica I’m sure will find a decent drive. There are still the rumours that McLaren is looking to possibly replace Kovalainen, Renault will be looking. Heck, any of the new teams which will receive help from the existing teams remember, could prove to be contenders. Heidfeld might have to settle for one of the new teams looking for experienced drivers though, as opposed to choosing for one.
If anyone should have quit it was the factory Renault F1 with Force India. Well BMW, Renault and Force India would be prudent to quit and save funds.
I think this is likely the end of the ‘manufacturer era’ of F1. It sounds like Toyota and Renault are likely to quit this season too, so we are going back to the days of the garagistes.
I wonder if BMW would have quit if the break-away had happened.
Anyhow, either way, bring on the private teams.
Hate to say I told you so, but……………
Great news. All we need now is for the BMW factories to close down then it’ll be good ridance to one of the major contributors to the collapse of British volume car manufacture in this country!!
Problem was, BMW designed this year’s car around its KERS system, which turned out to be useless. I’d say Toyota and Renault will soon follow.
Kubica is VERY interested in WRC (as seen on autosport website), and there is always the possibility he could do a year of rallying if he doesn’t get a seat next year.
Raikkonen could join him as well, as he has been taking part in rallies recently.
I can see Kubica and Heidfeld getting drives easily enough next year because no one is too bothered taking on rookies apart from Toro Rosso. It looks like BMW want to build hybrids from the press release which makes them very unracy! BMW’s have fantastic co2 and mpg stats as it is and this really was just a pull out because they didn’t want to damage their racing pedigree. I can see them staying in saloon car racing though because it is closer to the brand, I wonder if they will still supply F1 engines to the private teams, anyone know the answer to that one?
Don’t know if BMW will supply engines…it might make them some money as their engine is already developed and homologated. Any answers??
BMW may consider LeMans, as that would allow them to pursue “greener” tech in a racing environment…at lower cost!
opssssssssssssss BMW is gone
This is terrible news. I thought the works teams biggest advantage was stability and long term support and investment. The current story seems to be a privateer gets taken over by a brand, within three to five years the brand loses interest and the f1 team is destroyed in the process.
I’ll never understand these “bigwig” board members, childish macho PR obsessed idiots the lot of them.
I don’t want Aston Martin in F1 because Im enjoying the Maserati MC12 kicking the ass of the Aston Martin DB9R.
a) who wouldnt want aston martin in f1 (apart from Marco).
b There were rumors that Nico Rosberg was going to move to BMW in 2010 – well thats definately not happening now. He might have to stay with Williams now, although he is 5th so far in the drivers chapionship, the ‘best of the rest’, ie not brawn or red bull.
I would imagine ‘realignment’ means ‘moving into promotional areas that might actually have some impact on the sales & development of our road cars’. F1 tech never makes it into the sales patter or brochures of the current roadgoing range, so I can see them shifting more into touring cars and possibly even taking on Audi, Opel & Merc in the DTM series – they already have a storming V8 that’d fit the bill.
Prodrive, please come into F1. Although my F1 Team would be just as good, Apollo Racing F1 Team.
But F1 needs Prodrive becuase they have been in the rumors for years.
Or perhaps Schumacher will start his own F1 Team
This (drives for next year) is getting interesting now. massa (possibly) not racing at all (although i think he will be racing this year), kimi possibly moving to rallying with alonso filling his shoes, and alonso’s current teammate possibly not being in F1 at all soon like bourdais, Rosberg possibly moving to BMW (not now), barrichello, well not sure about him, glock possibly to go to mclaren to join lewis, leaving heikki with no seat. this is fun!
Aston Martin! I mean Prodrive! Quick! Jump in now before some random team decides to fill the spot!! Pleaasseeee!
PRODRIVE please take up their spot!! they could get lewis and someone else british who’s good (i.e not jenson button) to win! how good would that be!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO, BMW 4EVA they aint the best but look at their M Divison. Its all down to them creating that hideous 5 Series GT, there was nothing wrong with the 5 series, I even went out and bought an M5 E60 just for its mean looks
Well it is a loss. This is there results since 2006 when they Joined
World Championships: 0
Highest race finish: 1 (x1)
Pole Positions: 1
Fastest Laps: 2
Races competed 62
Points Scored 280
It is a shame. Look at the M divison. Doing so well they are going to make the X3M, X5M, X6M and M7. Well good luck to Robert and Nick in 2010 if they get a seat in the new teams. Or will there be the miracle of 2008 with Honda-Brawn Mercedes GP
Check out the autoblog.com. It’s announced that Big Schu is coming back to Ferrari for the remainder of the season!! Sounds like more trouble for Brawn.
bmw are cowards,they instantly quit the sport once they have a bad year.ferrari had a bad year in 1980 but they didn’t quit.if you keeping doing something you will become good at it.you don’t stop at something because your crap at it for a while.
Ｉ ｈｏｐｅ Ａ ＴＩＮ ｗｉｌ ｊｉｏｎ ｆ１ ｓｏｏｎ
ａ ｓｈａｍｅ ＭＷ ｗｅｎｔ ａａｎｄ Ｔｅａ ｍ ＵＳ ｔｈａ ｓ ｊｕｓｔ ｅｌｆｉｓｈ ｔ ｈａｔ ｙｏｕ ａｎ ｎａｍｅ ａ ｔｅａｍ ａ ｆｔｅｒ ａ ｃ ｕｎｔｒｙ．
I hope ASTIN will jion f1 soon. Its a shame that BMW went and team US joined. Its selfish to call a f1 team after a country, Its not the Olympic!
will their be another new team now kubica to renault possibly heifeld if massa can’t race again and alonso goes to ferrari
cue scuderia seat!
Sad news, they were doing so well last year, they could make a comeback and it is shameful that they are jumping ship like this. We need more manufacturers in the sport. 2 gone now, and Honda doesnt look likes its coming back soon, dont blame their reasoning. I do blame BMWs, theyre suppose to be a performance brand, luxury my ass.
Shame about Beamer,M Division is fantastic,E30M3,E46M3,E39 M5,E60M5 are all classic demons.
Just another example of a manufacturer takeing over a good,salt of the earth F1 team,and makeing it about the corporate bigwigs.
Their legacy?”Re-alignment structure”
Please,at least Honda stuck out being crap for 2 seasons,BMW quit after half a bad season.
Go McLaren.
To be fair; it’s just BMW that are pulling out, not Sauber. They’ll probably take the Cosworth engine and keep going
They have no choice but to quit! They’re losing a lot of money without any return of investment! And that’s the real reason why!
Well, Sauber can’t stand alone. They need an engine, and they’d need a reliable one. They just built an expensive wind-tunnel, and are seriously in trouble, if they can’t find a team, wich has a good core product. What they have, is the Infrastructure. But nothing to build a car around.They’re good in tweaking and testing though.
bmw should be replaced by a top gear f1 team with the stig and kubica driving.our maybe my team walsh gp.i submitted an entry this year but i wasn’t lucky.i tried to honda but i failed.
First Honda now BMW!!
I wonder if BMW is gonna make a comeback like Honda did with Brawn!!
Not surprised. The 09 rule changes messed things up. The cars can hardly be called elegant advertisement material anymore with the ugly wings and KERS was a big failure. Expect Renault to follow sooner or later.
The sad part is BMW wasted their money on KERS, which failed. Obviously they were hoping they could use the nice tech on their road cars but KERS sucks.
Not to mention their poor results.
But even though BMW had bad results, most the press wasn’t really concentrated on them, in fact the press was never ever really concentrated on BMW.
And if you’re reading Dr. Theissen, I’d be more then willing to take any F1 junk you have left off your hands.
.
Save Sauber please!
I assume the Sauber BMW outfit has an intrinsic value and I hope it will be saved and stay part of F1
brawn GP- The word ‘comment’ has an ‘n’ in it
Forget Prodrive, I’d like Lola in F1!!! Go on Lola!!! PLEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSS EEEEEEEEE!!!!!