Well here’s one for the F1 fan in all of us! It’s been speculated that Nissan has plans of joining Formula 1 next year. Considering that the new GT-R has an electronic manual transmission system, similar to transmissions used in Formula 1 and other high-end sports cars, and many years of success in the JGTC and successes in Le Mans racing, Nissan may already have the technology to start their own F1 team - or at least get started with help from an existing F1 team.
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Renault, Nissans equal-sharing sister company, has an existing team - the world champion Renault F1 Team - but that team has little development connection with Renault the car manufacturer. It has been thought that Nissan may join F1 with help from the Renault F1 Team or acquire the existing Renault F1 Team and just change the name to Nissan. Would this be welcomed by Renault F1 fans around the world? Well you be the judge. But it’s pretty obvious that if Nissan were to make such a move it could cause a rift between fans of the two manufacturers, especially when Nissan and Renault are both very involved in Motorsports.
A better move would be for Nissan to start its own F1 team and get a helping hand from the Renault F1 team. There have been reports that Nissan has been talking to retired driver and former team owner Alain Prost. This may lead to Nissan buying out an existing team for Alain to run. Whichever path Nissan does take is ultimately up to CEO Carlos Ghosn.
Nissan already has a rich history in motorsports and in racing development. Let’s see if plans (speculated at this stage) push through and Nissan makes it to the starting grid of F1 2008! Our fingers are firmly crossed!