Will Toyota ever win an F1 race?
Posted by Nick Trott at 4:45PM on Monday 22 January, 2007 19 Comments
The second biggest car manufacturer in the world has launched its latest F1 car. Words like 'high' and 'hopes' have emerged from the team, again. Problem is, we've been hearing this for a while now.
At the launch of last year's F1 car, Toyota said their sole aim was a victory. Just one. Little. Win. Purlease?
But as the season progressed you sensed some desperation kicked in. They tried two cars, the TF106 and the updated TF106B, and despite using the same Bridgestone tyres as Ferrari that elusive first win never came. Didn't even look like it was close to coming.
Honda's did and it must've hurt like a sword to the belly, which is exactly what happened (metaphorically, silly) to Toyota's Technical Director Mike Gascoyne in the middle of the season.
So what now? "Our fundamental target this year is to get the first victory," said Chairman and Team Principal Tsutomu Tomita at the launch of the TF107. Righty-ho. Deja-vu anyone?
Toyota's F1 operation is baffling to the outsider. The team has a substantial base in Cologne, but the team reports directly to Japan. For a while it was thought that Toyota's big cheeses over in the Far East just didn't understand Formula One and viewed it as a corporate, rather than a sporting, venture.
But in a recent interview with F1 Racing magazine, Mike Gascoyne said: "It's the senior management in Europe who have made all the mistakes," he said. "I'm amazed they're still there."
So what's gone wrong? Firstly, Toyota's decision to base its F1 effort in Cologne was always strange. F1's talent pool is in England. Fact.
Secondly, Toyota has shuffled drivers around like croupier dealing dodgy cards during its five years in F1. If Schumacher (M) showed us anything in Formula One, it's that consistency and effort bring rewards. That, and how not to park.
Dropping Mike Gascoyne - sorry, 'mutually agreeing to end their working relationship' - was also a bizarre decision. This is a guy with the perfect Technical Director schooling. A CV of brilliant innovations (Tyrell's high-nose F1 car) and ultimately, results. Toyota replaced him with Pascal Vasselon - a tyre man.
And what about the drivers? Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli are quick, no doubt. But look at the boost Robert Kubica gave BMW mid-season. Look at Renault graduating Kovalainen to a race drive. Look at young Hamilton's testing pace in the McLaren. Fresh blood is energising F1, and Toyota has none.
So, if Toyota doesn't win this year will they question their driver line-up (again) or will they question the overall viability of the F1 effort in general? Undoubtedly.
And here's a little conspiracy theory for you: it looks suspiciously like an escape route has been planned. An escape route that involves a British F1 team and a North America race series known as NASCAR. You might have heard of it.
If Toyota left F1, they wouldn't leave entirely. Williams is about to embark on a three-year engine deal with Toyota and the British team, despite an embarrassing 2006, can never be ignored. For Toyota's marketers, Williams winning with a Toyota engine is a Toyota winning. That's an easy one to spin.
And NASCAR? Toyota is putting on its dungarees and lumberjack shirt and entering arguably the biggest motorsport series in the world this year: the NASCAR Nextel Cup. The commercial viability (the costs don't get close to F1 levels) is one reason to concentrate on NASCAR, but the other is product visibility.
NASCAR is huge in North America. And North America is the most important car market in the world...
Does F1 need Toyota? Yes. Toyota is about to become the biggest car manufacturer in the world.
The question is, does Toyota need F1?
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19 Comments for "Will Toyota ever win an F1 race?"
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For all WRC fans is really fantastic to see through nature the cars racing, but ufortunately, living in this part of the world we are in disadvantage, because not all fans get acces to TV cable, and the international channels like ESPN global sports, it is what its name a global, so they just show you a bit of everything, a bit of tennis, football, f1, wrc, and it is not fair just seeing just a piece.
TV channel, exclusive like are improving in football, maybe good, for instance TV Mauntd, arsenal, etc, other problem, is now the acces to those specific channel.
That whould be fine I think, to see any time, and everything you want about your favorite team, and not looking for at the schedule to see when your program is shown.
I think they will, if they make their race cars as reliable as their road cars and drivers don't screw. They should not have problems winning. But they have to beat the best of them, that means Ferrari, Merc, Honda, to name a few. I wish them all the luck in the world. Have a good one and season.
As always, Toyota has shown us yet again that speed or deisgn isn't their strong point. They are all about reliablity and after that.. Who knows?
I think we are being a bit harsh on Toyota. Before F1, they didn't have much of a winning prototype roadracing history. To the best of my knowledge, they have had success in WRC and JGTC... but that's it, I think. Maybe podiums at Le Mans. Everyone talks about Honda winning for the first time last year, but they had unparalleled success in the mid to late 80's. If the senior people at McLaren weren't contracted to Mercedez, they would be the first people to tell you that Honda played a major role in the McLaren-Honda years.....far more than just an engine builder. If Ayrton Senna were alive, he would say the same thing.
I have a lot of respect for Japanese engineering....I think it's the best, actually. If Japan even bothered with space travel, there would be racetracks on Mars by now.
Having said that, I too believe F1's biggest source of talent is Britain. What does Cologne have? Architecture? Wine?
In my opinion, the combination of British and Japanese engineering is the best one around..... McLaren-Honda (MP4/4), Ariel Atom..... Nuff said!
Here's hoping Prodrive sign an engine deal with Honda.
Nascar..... I think my vacuum cleaner is more high-tech.
With the exception of IRL, American motorsport has always been agricultural. That, and they keep going around in circles, like their current president.
impressed with toyota's new F1 monster but i have to say... its still got to be Ferrari's year i'm afraid
I think sadly for Toyota they're going to have to find someone they can get on with to run the team, and actually leave them to it. If they continue to use a panel of people who don't really know what they're on about, they will go down in history as the biggest flop ever. Surely that alone is enough to concentrate the mind, but apparently not. If Honda do well this year (and they may) Toyota will have to stay for a while if only for pride!
Toyota will also compete in NASCAR this year for the first time ever. They will become the first foreign car company to do so. Wanna bet they don't get any victories in NEXTEL Cup either?
I think they have no chance. They aren't a team you really take seriously. They are a bit 'namby pamby' so to speak, and so far they have been getting away with it. They are running fresh out of excuses, they are failing to meet the crowd, and, more importantly, they are failing to meet even the small standards they set for themselves. If they ever have any chance of victory, then they need it now. They are at a point where they are merely wasting space on the starting grid. But maybe they are right. Maybe they do need a better chance. Well, unfortunately, if they are looking for a better chance, they aren't getting it this season.
Toyota wants to sell cars. I would guess that people who are likely to buy a Camry probably are NASCAR fans. How many times do you pass a Toyota or some other make with a Dale JR. #8 on it. People don't put F1 decals on their car. Cause no one in the US watches F1. Us Americans like beer and brats. That's more to NASCAR's style. I would say Europeans like wine and cheese. That's more F1. Sophistication and class. However the people who are spending money on Toyotas are those hard working Americans who enjoy canned lite beer and Johnsonville brats. As Toyota, if my customer base is more "in to", NASCAR, that's where I'm going to spend my money on advertising. Seems like smart business to me. It's just as the author said, F1 needs Toyota, but Toyota doesn't need F1.
Just goes to show that to acheive success in Formula One you have to be totally committed throughout your organisation. Even a little incompetence can prevent the most successful manufacturers mirrorring that success in the sport. Just watch Honda in 2007, thats all I'm saying.
With Williams having Toyota Engines & Toyota going to NASCAR, I could actually see Toyota pulling out of F1 as a team & put all their efforts into Engine's & Williams. With the drivers that they have already & the staff etc, would it actually be cheaper for Toyota to actually buy out Williams? (A bit like the plan that was when BMW & Williams were in a partnership) To be honest I don't think Toyota has got the whole F1 idea in their heads. Even though the GP of Japan will be raced on 'their track' they don't really have a clue. Reading an artice in Autosport Mag, neally all their objectives that they have set at each of their F1 car launches, they have failed to achieve. Now from a business angle, that's bad. I have to admit, I would love to go up to the directors of Toyota motorsport & ask them "Why are you going into NASCAR?" I see no reason for it to be honest. If i was in charge of a motor car brand, I'd go to Le Mans or if i wanted to go to America, try & take over the Champ Car engine deal off Ford Cosworth. I think if Toyota want to win races in Formula 1, do what Mercedes Benz may do to McLaren, what Ford did with Stewart & what Honda did to B.A.R. to name but a few, buy Williams out, (but for the sake of British motorsport, keep the Williams name)
Ken, more money? They currently spend among the most of anyone in F1. No, I don't think a billion pounds per season would get them a win. The team just completely lacks passion and they're in F1 for all the wrong reasons. They're never going to get to the core of their problems for the same reason they've never figured out their problems in the past: they deny them and instead blame drivers and team members.
nice conspiracy theory... and actually quite viable! Lets see how Williams and Toyota get on in 2007. It would be an awful embarressment if Williams have the upper hand over their engine supplier home grown race team!
NASCAR has a clear advantage over F1. NASCAR guarantees a victory for Toyota. The technical specs will be adapted to make it competitive, so it's only a matter of time, I'd say 10 to 12 races. I think the future will leave Toyota as an engine manufacturer for 4 years more, not much more. Too bad, I own one, and is the best car little money can buy, so i'm a fan too.
As an American who thinks NASCAR is possibly the most dull form of motorsport on Earth (save drag racing, which is also huge in America), I have to admit Toyota's move to NASCAR is quite logical. As a spec series with close racing and little technological development by individual teams compared to F1, Toyota just needs to field a couple of moderately financed NASCAR teams to ensure multiple podiums in the coming year. While I admire the amazing engineering and driving of F1, a quick comparison of podium standings between the two series proves how much less predictable a NASCAR race is than Schumi and Alonso era F1.
Toyota win an F1 race? Not for a very long time. They need to work a lot harder and make quite a few changes, like ditching Ralph Schumacher for a start. Jarno Trulli probably need's to think about retiring too. Technically they should be very good - at least on paper - but something is amiss so they need to figure out what it is and what they can do to rectify the situation with the technical staff they have, not sack whoever they feel they can make a scapegoat. Currently they are just another Honda waiting to fall apart.
No doubt Toyota's the world's largest car manufacturer, but being the world's largest car manufacturer doesn't guarantee any chances of winning a Formula One Race. My point is, Toyota is being the world's largest car manufacturer because it only knows how to make cars and sell them with a high profit. It doesn't mean that they're capable of making the best cars in the world.
Toyota's problem is the budget, which is way too big for making profit. Give someone too much money and he'll mellow down quite easily. Plus there's all the finger-pointing inside the team that got Mike Gascoyne thrown out of the team this year.
It would be fun to see them thrashed by Williams, but unfortunately Sir Frank's team has shown signs of rust starting to build up on its gearings. No wonder Eddie Jordan said "the age of the privateer is over". Looking at the disaster streak that hit Williams this year, it's easy to see why.
If Toyota wants to win something in track motorsport, I'm not sure Nascar is the right way. And neither is F1. Sportscars... they tried that with no success. Why did they abandon rallying, when they were so succesful at it? We'll never actually know.
Folks, let's look at the recent past. Toyota did not have F1 experience and fell flat the first year. And they did have a bit of open wheel racing experience that they garnered in Indy Car in America. Back then, they put out a lukewarm effort with very limited company support and failed miserably. Same thing in F1 last year, where their failure was totally predictable. Now Toyota is also going to race in NASCAR, where they have zero interest and the same lukewarm efforts they put into Indy Car and F1. Can they develop a racing V8 for NASCAR without the help of the big race teams who have been doing it for decades? I don't think so. Same with F1. Mark my words, Toyota will have the same level of success in NASCAR that they enjoyed in Indy Car and are enjoying in F1: zero wins.