BMW to leave F1 at the end of 2009 - Confirmed

[Ali]

Breaking News!! F1 braced for BMW exit announcement

BMW's future in Formula 1 is in serious doubt tonight amid mounting speculation that the German car manufacturer will announce its withdrawal from the sport at the end of this season, on Wednesday.

An emergency press conference has been called at BMW's headquarters in Munich, where it is suggested that the car company may reveal that it has decided to end its involvement in F1.

The invite to the press conference said it had been called because of 'current developments in motor sport.'

The press conference will be hosted by Dr. Norbert Reithofer, the chairman of the BMW board, Dr. Klaus Draeger, the director for development, and Mario Theissen, BMW motorsport director. The presence of such senior management figures suggests that the announcement will be very significant.

Officials at BMW refused to comment about what the press conference was about, but they did confirm that it was 'important' news.

BMW had hoped to fight for the world championship this year, but instead the F1.09 has fallen short of expectations. Its struggles, allied to the abandonment of its KERS, that BMW had pushed hard for in F1, are likely to have played a part in any decision about the future of the team.

Although BMW Sauber had a difficult start to the season, Theissen has made it clear on several occasions that the team's form had not changed the BMW Board's commitment to F1.

"We analysed and evaluated the situation and the F1 programme with the board prior to the start of the season in February," said Theissen in May. "It was overall a very positive evaluation and judgement, and that hasn't changed.

"Apparently everybody is disappointed about the sporting results, but other than that there is no news and we have not discussed it since."

However, sources suggest that a review meeting was planned for July to decide the future of the team - and this may be behind any announcement planned for the morning.

Should BMW confirm it is pulling out of the sport, it will be the second car manufacturer to do so in eight months - with Honda having announced last December that it was to leave the sport.

The announcement will be more of a surprise, however, because BMW Sauber was on the verge of signing a Concorde Agreement that would have committed the team to F1 until the end of 2012.

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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77398

[TwistedArmco]

Short answer. Yes.

What else can it be? This news depresses me further.

[Ali]

Teams are expected to sign the new Concorde Agreement by this week, which would make them to commit to the sport until 2012. So, this meeting must be arranged in order not to sign it and leave the sport instead. What a depressing moment! I hope Renault will not follow the steps.

[iceman1]

No surprise there, but I hope they don't leave as they have really showed that they can compete for both championships.(2008 not 2009 )

Renault and Toyota to follow?

[phil1993]

Kubi will go to WRC http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77384

Also, I don't think development on the F1.10 has been started yet?

Maybe we'll have Team Theissen

[iceman1]

from Murray Walker's Twitter:

Just received a telephone call from a moustachioed German, who's name I can not reveal. It's not good news. Keep an eye on the news tomorrow

[phil1993]

AP: 'BMW will pull out of F1 at the end of 2009, more soon'

[Earth]

Now it was confirmed, RIP BMW

[Ali]

NobleF1: BMW has confirmed it is quitting F1 at the end of 2009

[phil1993]

So where will Kubica go? WRC? Which team? Ferrari is full!

Nick? Retirement?

Klien?

[Earth]

Or the team will buy someone we must waiting...

[Ali]

BMW will quit F1 at the end of 2009

BMW has announced it is to quit Formula 1 at the end of the 2009 season, as AUTOSPORT predicted last night.

The news was confirmed at a press conference in Munich this morning, and comes on the back of a disappointing campaign for the outfit.

Dr. Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the BMW board, said that the decision was made after a refining of the company's future strategy.

"Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment," he said.

"Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula 1 campaign is thus less a key promoter for us.

"Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motor sports program since 1999. We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula 1 racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario Theissen and his team for this."

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen, who spearheaded the company's efforts as an engine supplier with Williams and then later with BMW Sauber, said he understood the reasons behind the withdrawal.

"Of course, we, the employees in Hinwil and Munich, would all have liked to continue this ambitious campaign and show that this season was just a hiccup following three successful years," he said. "But I can understand why this decision was made from a corporate perspective. We will now focus sharply on the remaining races and demonstrate our fighting spirit and put in a good result as we bid farewell to Formula 1 racing."

Dr. Klaus Draeger, member of the board who is responsible for development, said this season's poor results had played a part in the move to quit F1.

"It only took us three years to establish ourselves as a top team," he said. "Unfortunately, we were unable to meet expectations in the current season.

"Nevertheless, our ten years of Formula 1 experience have had a major impact on our development engineers. We have racing to thank for numerous technological innovations as well as the competitive spirit that drives us to develop mass-produced cars."

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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77400

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Ecclestone: BMW didn't hit targets

Formula 1 supreme Bernie Ecclestone believes BMW's failure to win the world championship this year could be behind its anticipated withdrawal from the sport.

The German car manufacturer is to hold a press conference this morning to announce plans relating to its motor sport activities.

Although there has been no official news from the team, it is expected that it will pull out of F1 at the end of this season.

And Ecclestone believes that failure on track could have prompted the decision.

"Recently when I spoke to Mario Theissen, the team manager, he said they had three years to win the world championship," Ecclestone told BBC Radio Five Live.

"That's what he wanted to do and he was quite confident they would. But it appears it's not quite been like that, so perhaps that's why they've (chosen) to stop."

AUTOSPORT will keep you full up-to-date with developments as they happen.

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[JoostLamers]

OMG! I am shocked!

[phil1993]

I'm not surprised really. Even in their success they were mentioning a pull out

http://www.bmw-sauber-f1.com/en/index.h ... ws/~337|0/

The bad news is that this could be the trigger for other teams (Toyota, Renault) to pull out.

I hope Kubica can still get a drive. Maybe Peter Sauber will buy it back! I'd love that, I used to love the livery of the Saubers; the lovely green and blue

[phil1993]

The FIA says that it has reserve teams on the list for next year... which i think was Lola? But they stopped production... was it Litespeed?