Willis slams Honda

[Dare]

 

Hell hath no fury like a scorned Technical Director.


Geoff Willis, ousted at Honda in favour of Shuhei Nakamoto last summer, has published a scathing analysis of the team's work and its 2007 charger.


The Englishman has remained tight-lipped since leaving the team last July after it was announced that Nakamoto had been appointed Senior Technical Director and Mariano Alperin-Bruvera was to become the Chief Aerodynamicist at their Brackley factory. However, he has broken his silence to pour scorn on the construction of the horrendous RA107.


"Oh dear! What should have been a development of the competent 2006 car [which Willis designed] has turned into a nightmare," he wrote in an article for F1 Racing Magazine. "It looks as though most of the lessons of 2005-2006 have either been forgotten or ignored, and the development momentum of the last races of 2006 lost. Poor corner-entry performance coupled with poor straight-line speed suggests a car that's difficult to drive unless the rear-wing level is excessive."


Pointedly, Willis suggested that the faults were a consequence of lacklustre management.


"Blame has been directed at the aero department and new tunnel; however the aerodynamicists, like all designers, need direction and guidance through the maze of performance trade-offs...[Honda] must start to realise that F1 isn't a place for management by committee, however well intentioned."


That remark can be interpreted as a rebuke to Nakamoto's public criticism of Willis' style when he declared: "We'd been restricted to a certain line of design when Geoff was here. I've taught them the Honda philosophy of being adventurous and experimental."


As reported previously on P-F1, the reputation of Nakamoto, who possessed no previous F1 experience before his shock appointment, has since been torn to shreds, with Honda engineers reportedly 'openly describing him as "out of his depth."'

[gooderacer]

Dare, thanks for the insightful post on Honda. Just curious why you chose to put an apostrophe in "Honda's" when I think you meant "Hondas" or "Honda". Hope you don't mind the Q.
Regards, gooderacer.

[Dare]

because there's two cars on the team
Rueben's Honda and Jensen's Honda=Honda's

Oversight,has been corrected

[Chameleon]

Oh dear, you mentioned my specialism (grammar).  "Honda's" means "belonging to Honda" (it stems from the old English "Honda his", the apostrophe indicating that letters have been removed).  The plural of Honda is just "Hondas".  No letters removed, no apostrophe, simple as that.

Grammar lessons will be starting behind the bike sheds at 3:00pm tomorrow.  A small fee will be charged, of course... 

[Dare]

My grammar is beyond help.

Too many years in the 1st grade

[Steven Roy]

Let me start by saying my grammar and spelling is fabulous my problem is controlling my typing fingers.  That's my excuse.

It must be absolutely obvious that the Japanese management philosophy will never work in F1.  I guess time will tell whether Honda and Toyota will carry on trying to save face or bite the bullet and admit they were wrong and hire someone who knows what day it is.

The performance of this year's cars prove that Willis and Mike Gascoyne were right and the management of the two teams were wrong and mile out of their depth.

I posted something similar at Pit lane but it is worth saying again.  What has happened to Honda's management in the last 5 years.  They have screwed up in F1.  They owned the Moto GP (and its prdecessors) title but didn't have the sense to do whatever was necessary to hang on to Valentino Rossi.  When he wanted to try an F1 car Ferrari gave him the opportunity.  Why didn't Honda know about his interest and give him a chance. 

The final point is about their sponsorship of ITV's UK race coverage.  Since the start of last season they have the first advert after the break and the last before the return to the race.  Unbelievably given their performance the theme to these ads is 'to dream the impossible dream'.  Do they have irony in Japan.

If I was running major company sponsoring this coverage the first line of the contract would say that no competitor's advert could be shown from the start of the first ad during the break before the coverage starts to the last ad in the break at the end of the coverage.  Not Honda.  They are spending a fortune on sponsorship that is littered with Merc and FIAT adverts including some featuring Michael Schumacher.

What has happened to Honda?

[Chameleon]

I've been puzzled by Honda's complete loss of form this season but I think you may have put your finger on it, Steven - loss of face.  That's very important to Orientals, by all accounts, and so they would not have enjoyed being told by an employee that they were going in the wrong direction.  Result: sack the blighter and take the consequences.  More important than winning, it would seem.

Poor old Jenson...

[johnbull]

That's very much their way of thinking, but it just doesn't work in F1.

I can see one of 2 things happening at Toyota. One is they buy out Williams and continue to run the team themselves in their own inimitable style, in the hope that they can succeed ----and they won't because of their philosophy, or two, they will buy out Williams and let Frank and Patrick run it as Toyota ---- and they will succeed.

Both Frank and Patrick will accept either offer in my opinion, though they will love the latter. They will have their money, and they will still be getting their fingers dirty playing with racing cars. Right up their street.

As for Honda, they could do alot worse than eat humble pie and ask Dave richards to run the team for them, complete with Honda's endless supply of yen.

Your thoughts, gentlemen?

[Chameleon]

I can see Honda flipping Nick Fry out of the pan - after all, he's about done now.  But Dave Richards?  Isn't he too involved with Prodrive to be dragged off to another project?  Perhaps if he and Ron can't come to an agreement on customer cars...

[Dare]

If the Japanese attitude has hurt Honda and Toyota
why are Super Arguri having success.


I would love to see Sir Frank get Toyota's endless
supply of money.Monies all that's holding Williams
back now imo

How do you think Toyota would handle merging
the teams in respect of the drivers?Who would
they drop

[johnbull]

Interesting point about Super Aguri, dare. I wonder if it's anything to do with allowing Daniele Audetto to do his thing. I frequently hear interviews with him and he seems very happy at Aguri.

And there's no doubting their success.

[cosworth151]

I don't think it's Japanese attitude as much as it is Japanese top-down corperate managment style. Super Aguri doesn't have that to contend with. It's run by an individual with a good backgroung in F1. In some ways, one could put Aguri Suzuki more in a class with other driver-constructors (recently Prost ans Stewart) then with Major Japanese corperations.

[Steven Roy]

Aguri is a racer who has spent years learning how do things right.  I think people like Aguri and Nakajima adapt european attitudes and understand that all the kow towing simply doesn't work.  He also has a Geoff Willis designed car.  Audetto undoubtedly makes a big difference to how they operate.

Shame Honda can't switch back to that car.

[raindancer]

This is an Interesting thread. Lets look at one key aspect ! The Japanese have traditionally been very conservative with regards to acquisition with the possible exception of Sony for various reasons. They also long term business strategy compared to their American or European Counterparts and their management style lends itself to such an approach. The Stock Market does not drive business plans of companies.
Having said that they would prefer to build their own team their way and if shown that it is not working they will probably redraw. Pulling out of F1 for both Honda and Toyota is not an option and will result in severe loss of face which the japs hate.
Having worked with some f their Corporate Honchos, I can tell you that they have a very supercilious attitude. As to Williams being acquired by Toyota, I don't know why they would need to but for the Intellectual Capital and than culture issues will abound. I don't think either Sir Frank Williams or Patrick Head can be dictated to. But Honda are no stranger to winning but the difference here is that they are managing the team and the learning curve has been a $ 2 B till now and increasing steadily.

[Chameleon]

You make some very good points, Raindancer.  As soon as it was confirmed that Williams were getting Toyota engines for 2007, I suggested that the British team would ultimately be bought by the Japanese giant and the two teams merged (with Frank and Patrick still in charge, of course).  You have made me realise that this was merely logic and common sense, things that will not necessarily apply.  I have been guilty of looking at the matter through western eyes and assuming that it was clear to all.

This thing about "losing face" is so important to the Japanese that I can see it over-ruling other considerations - they might well stay in F1 no matter how long it takes to win the championship.  It also explains why they have held on to Ralf for so long - a Mario Theissen would have kicked him out long ago but the Toyota board have to keep trying with him in the hope that he proves them right all along.  To replace him before his contract runs out would be to admit a wrong decision in taking him on in the first place...

I think the Honda situation is slightly different.  They have proved that they can win consistently in bike racing and they have been in F1 before - so they must have some idea of how to get the job done.  Their big problem this time has been the chassis design, something that they have far less experience in than engine development, for instance.  It was probably a mistake for them to sack Willis but I think they will solve their problems in the end, even doing it their way.  The chassis will respond to the massive amount of time and money they are pouring into its development (in fact, it might have already, judging from their optimism after the Jerez test), they have a good engine and a team of drivers that are quick enough and work well together.  The dream can still come true.

And Honda have also had the sense to approach Ross Brawn with an offer.  So they know they need someone a bit better than Nick Fry to run the show...