Honda tops money list
Japanese manufacturer has spent the most

(GMM) Japan's Honda spent more money on F1 this year than any other carmaker.

That is the information of 'BusinessF1' magazine, which claimed that a gigantic budget totalling (US) $560 million was splashed out on the Brackley based BAR-Honda team.

It must be remembered, however, that Honda recently acquired 100 per cent of its now eponymous grand prix outfit.

Major expenditure on a new state of the art wind tunnel would also account for a chunk of the more than half-billion dollar figure, and Honda reportedly also chipped in to help Jenson Button buy his way out of a Williams deal.

In a more normal year, Honda would have spent about $250 million in 2005, followed closely by Mercedes ($236m) and Toyota ($212m). BMW ploughed in $160 million, while Renault won both drivers' and constructors' titles by spending just $113m.

These figures are estimated based on what the car manufacturer, rather than what the team on a whole, spent.

It is therefore less astonishing that Fiat spent a mere $10 million on Ferrari's F1 programme this year. Maranello's real budget is pumped up by huge sponsors including Vodafone and Marlboro, with the latter paying Michael Schumacher's salary.

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It's truly amazing that Renault beat everyone with a relatively tiny budget!