Japanese automaker Honda said it will build a European racing operations base in Milton Keynes ahead of its return to Formula One in 2015.
Honda said in May that it will return to the sport as an engine supplier to McLaren in a bid to revive their championship-winning partnership.
On Friday it said it will build a new facility in Milton Keynes that "will rebuild and maintain the power units developed at Honda (research and development) centre" in Japan.
"The UK is an ideal location; it is the home of McLaren, many F1 suppliers are UK based and with seven of the 19 races taking place in Europe (in 2013)," Honda said in a statement.
The Japanese automaker pulled out of F1 after the 2008 season, ending an involvement that began in the 1960s, to cut costs during the economic downturn that ravaged Japanese exports to the United States and Europe.
It sold its team to former principal Ross Brawn the next year.
A recent change in F1 rules, promoting the use of environmentally friendlier turbo engines, has made the comeback decision easier because Honda could readily transfer the technology to its commercial vehicles.
The McLaren-Honda alliance conquered F1 from 1988 to 1991 with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at the wheel.
Honda started racing in F1 as a full-fledged team in 1964, and stayed until 1968. During that time, it won two races.
Then, as a supplier of engines to other teams including McLaren, Williams and Lotus, it raced from 1983 to 1992 and won 69 races.
After an eight-year hiatus, Honda returned as an engine provider and then part-owner of the BAR team from 2000 to 2005. In 2006 it took full control and renamed it Honda.
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Welcoming news from the Formula 1 scene after all the bad press about the safety issues regarding Pirelli tyres. Honda will not have its own team, unlike when it last pulled out of the sports in 2008. Instead, they will supply the turbocharged engines to teams like McLaren, one which they have past glories with in the late 80s and early 90s. It will be very interesting to see how Honda can help McLaren boost its position on the field.
Fernando Alonso said on Friday the battle for Formula One supremacy could be a lot tighter this year ahead of his bid to improve on two runner-up places behind Sebastian Vettel with a maiden title for Ferrari.
Last season's world championship was remarkable for the fact there were seven race-winners in the first seven races before Alonso went toe-to-toe with Red Bull ace Vettel in a decisive, thrilling finale at Interlagos.
Vettel, the sport's youngest-ever three-time world champion (2010, 2011, 2012), finished sixth at the legendary Brazilian circuit, where Alonso was second, to beat his Spanish rival to the title by only three points.
Alonso, speaking at the launch of Ferrari's new F138 car for the upcoming season, indicated that their anticipated duel in 2013 could leave rivals trailing in their wake from the season-opening Australian GP in March.
"I think the likelihood of seeing seven different race winners in the first seven races, like last year, will be impossible," he said.
"There will be a maximum of two or three teams" battling for the title, he added, "and one of those will definitely be Ferrari."
Alonso, a two-time world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, joined Ferrari for the 2010 season and finished runner-up to Vettel.
He finished a disappointing fourth in 2011 but in 2012 won three times and secured a total of 13 podium places before being pipped by Vettel at the finish.
Afterwards, he said: "Next year, we will try and improve the car, trying to start further up the grid, thus avoiding accidents. Let's hope we also have a bit more luck."
The F138 - whose name represents the current year and the car's V8 engine, which will be used for the last time this season - was unveiled at Ferrari's Maranello headquarters in northern Italy on Friday.
Ferrari described it as "an evolution of last year's race-winning car, although every single part has been revised in order to maximise performance while maintaining the characteristics which were the basis of the F2012's superb reliability".
"The rear of the car is much narrower and more tapered than before," said Ferrari, although "significant modifications will be made to the car's aero package" before the Australian Grand Prix on March 17.
One major change Ferrari has made, one year ahead of schedule, is in the electronics domain with the early introduction of the single control unit that will be used in 2014.
Alonso is set to get his first taste of the F138 at a pre-season testing session in Barcelona from February 19. It means Brazilian Felipe Massa will be at the wheel for the first pre-season test at Jerez in Spain next week.
Massa, who finished seventh overall last season, believes the car is equipped sufficiently to allow Ferrari to aim for both the drivers' and constructors' titles.
"I hope it will bring the two titles to Ferrari. It's the only thing we want," he said.
Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said last year he wants to see three-times champion Vettel race for the Italian team in the future.
But on Friday Di Montezemolo ruled out the possibility of seeing Alonso and Vettel in the same team. "Absolutely not," replied Di Montezemolo.
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The final year of the V8 era in Formula 1. Will this finally be Ferrari's year after Kimi last won the title with the scarlet red outfit in 2007? We will know when the season kicks start in Melbourne on March 17th.
Formula One supremo
Bernie Ecclestone believes Michael Schumacher was wrong to return to the
sport, claiming the German had severely damaged his legacy as a
seven-time world champion.
The 43-year-old Schumacher quit the
sport in 2006 before being tempted into an ill-fated return in 2010 at
Mercedes where he spent three seasons being largely outshone by teammate
Nico Rosberg.
He brought the curtain down on his second spell at last month's Brazilian Grand Prix where he finished seventh.
"I would rather he had stopped as a seven-time world champion than stopping now," Ecclestone told www.formula1.com.
"People
new to the sport -- people who have joined the F1 fan fraternity just
recently -- will remember Michael now, not as he was. They don't see the
hero that he was but the human that can fail."
But Ecclestone
had some words of comfort for Schumacher, admitting that three-time
champion Sebastian Vettel will find it hard to break his record of seven
crowns.
"He is not half way there. It will be a question of how good his team will stay -- or how bad the others are," said Ecclestone.
"When
Michael won his five titles with Ferrari it was because Ferrari did a
better job than any other team -- that is the same with Red Bull at the
moment. Whether they can continue, you don't know. Let's wait and see."
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Schumi, as we affectionately call him, like all other sports greats, made a comeback in 2010. Still remember in 2009 when Massa had a life threatening accident, Schumi almost made a return for Ferrari as a backup. Suddenly everyone was buzzing about the prospect of the greatest F1 driver of all time getting into the cockpit again.
Sadly that didn't materialise due to a neck injury and Luca Badoer took over instead, to much dismay considering how crappy he is as a racer. But the comeback did arrive, not in Ferrari but at the newly formed team Mercedes GP.
We all thought they can make a huge challenge considering how Brawn GP blown everyone away with their maiden season in F1. Sadly, Mercedes GP failed to reproduce such performances with their many issues with the car.
I wouldn't say Schumi wasted the 3 years. Try putting yourself in his shoes. The temptation is always there, though the outcome isn't what as desired, it put to rest what's left in the basement, like how Rocky Balboa made a last hurrah in the ring.
I believe to all Schumi fans, he still is the best with 7 world titles. Vettel has the biggest shot at breaking that record but there's still a long long way to go for Schumi's fellow German.
The Korean Grand Prix racked up substantial operating losses last month,
the third year running it has finished in the red, but organisers say
the race will bring long-term benefits to the country.
The
South Korean race, first run in 2010, returned operating losses of 39.4
billion won (S$44.6 million), local media reported today quoting race
organisers.
One of nine Asian races on the 20-stop 2012
Formula One calendar, including the Asia-Pacific Australian Grand Prix,
the South Korean event also lost an estimated US$50 million (S$61
million) in its first year.
"It's hard to say what kind of
impact the loss has on next year," South Korean race organisers told
Reuters. "Although there are many concerns regarding the operating loss,
the loss for a third straight year is only a short-term effect.
"In the long-term the F1 event will bring more benefits to the
country. It will not only pave the way for South Korean car industries
in the future but also help foster new industries."
The
Yeongam circuit, 400 km south of Seoul, has an initial contract of seven
years, with a five-year option that could keep the race there until
2021.
However, it has been plagued by problems, even before
opening in 2010, when construction of the circuit was only just
finished in time for its maiden race.
South Korean
organisers have expressed dissatisfaction at the terms of their contract
with Formula One, particularly over the cost of race-sanctioning fees.
However, their complaints have fallen on deaf ears with Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
The last two Korean races have been won by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, the current world champion.
The problems facing South Korea's race contrast sharply to the
success Formula One enjoys in nearby Japan, where sell-out 120,000
crowds are commonplace at Suzuka.
"Compared to the boom
years, things have become a little harder but we had 103,000 for race
day this year," press manager Yoshihisa Ueno told Reuters.
"Last year with the (tsunami and nuclear) disaster, numbers were down
but this year, operation-wise was a successful year."
The
Japanese Grand Prix has been held at Suzuka almost exclusively since
1987, apart from 2007 and 2008 when it was held at Fuji Speedway.
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The Korean GP had a difficult birth right from the start. It was a miracle that they even made it in time to hold their maiden race back in 2010. It's baffling as to why they build the track so far away from Seoul, making it very much inaccessible and the lack of entertainment around the track isn't helping either. After 3 years, it's still suffering from a loss, the Korean government has alot to do to turn it around anytime soon.
