TGR StaffJust eight months after losing Honda, BMW announced that 2009 would be its final season in Formula 1. Dr. Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the board of management at BMW told the BBC “This was a difficult decision for us, but it’s a resolute step in view of our company’s strategic realignment.”
“Strategic realignment” sounds like code for we did not win the championship so we are quitting. The factory team was founded in 2006 with the goal of becoming world champions within three years. 2007 brought a second-place finish after McLaren was disqualified, but came in third in 2007 behind McLaren and Ferrari. Rumors are that private team ownership will attempt to keep the program going, much like Honda’s Brawn GP team. BMW has been pulling out of factory-backed Motorsports for quite some time, so their move to F1 was a surprise in 2006 to many, with the BMW F1 program ending. It looks like BMW Motorsports will only be represented in the World Touring Car Championship and the entry-level Formula BMW program.
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