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Virgin Group to buy Honda F1 team speculation

Posted:
18 Feb 2009, 14:13
by DarkAuror
I suppose it's one of many possible pies that SRB likes to make a statement on.
LinkWould be an easy way for global advertising, like when Crystal Palace were sponsored by Virgin and for the 1990 FA Cup Final, they wore shirts with 'Fly New York' and 'Fly Boston' for the replay.
Can imagine 'Fly Sydney' on the rear spoilers for the Australian GP.
{Edited by Bazz to add the word 'buy' to the topic title.}

Posted:
18 Feb 2009, 14:21
by Darren Wheeler
Hmmmm. Is now the time to start heading into the money pit known as F1? Won't sit well with the 500 facing redundancy I bet. Putting the mentioned 40M into a refurb of the LGW planes and maybe a few quid into the food would be a better spend IMHO.

Posted:
18 Feb 2009, 14:39
by Neil
quote:Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
Hmmmm. Is now the time to start heading into the money pit known as F1? Won't sit well with the 500 facing redundancy I bet. Putting the mentioned 40M into a refurb of the LGW planes and maybe a few quid into the food would be a better spend IMHO.
Yes, but it would be the Virgin Group, not Virgin Atlantic buying the Honda team.
The fact the Virgin Atlantic needs to cut costs, through staff cuts or whatever, is kind of irrelevant to what SRB does with his other companies. If VS is not making the money it needs, it cannot rely on SRB to bail it out willy nilly. Incidentally, *if* they did buy Honda, they would be also saving 800 jobs based at Brackley.
I do hope, someone, not necessarily Virgin buys Honda, otherwise I can see F1 being very boring this year with a low number of drivers on the grid.

Posted:
18 Feb 2009, 14:56
by Darren Wheeler
It will be perceived as Virgin, in all it's guises, buying into F1. Apart from a bit of publicity, I don't see what they plan on getting out of it. Won't cause people to buy Honda cars (no new builds until May) as they cannot sell them now.
I still think Virgin Group can find a better use for the 40m, across all the companies.

Posted:
18 Feb 2009, 16:10
by RichardMannion
quote:Originally posted by Neil
The fact the Virgin Atlantic needs to cut costs, through staff cuts or whatever, is kind of irrelevant to what SRB does with his other companies. If VS is not making the money it needs, it cannot rely on SRB to bail it out willy nilly.
The irony been that for many years it has been VS that has been keeping other parts of the Virgin Group afloat as it has been by far the most successful group - there is a huge list of 'ventures' that have been far more costly.

Posted:
18 Feb 2009, 19:46
by slinky09
quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
quote:Originally posted by Neil
The fact the Virgin Atlantic needs to cut costs, through staff cuts or whatever, is kind of irrelevant to what SRB does with his other companies. If VS is not making the money it needs, it cannot rely on SRB to bail it out willy nilly.
The irony been that for many years it has been VS that has been keeping other parts of the Virgin Group afloat as it has been by far the most successful group - there is a huge list of 'ventures' that have been far more costly.
Indeed, so SRB could reduce his take from Virgin Atlantic for a year to help out ... 800 Honda F1 jobs, 600 cut from VS ... no one else is going to help VS but HF1 has options ...

Posted:
28 Mar 2009, 18:25
by crispin
Although they didn't buy out the old Honda F1 team, they announced today that they have become a major sponsor of Brawn F1.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsp ... 969435.stm