Howett and why Toyota signed RS and JT

[Dave B]

Heidfield IS a midfield driver, albeit at the better part of the midfield. He tooled along nicely for a couple of years at Sauber until a young hotshot rookie exloded the myth that the car was sluggish. Faced with proper competiton, Heidfeld responded.

I'd be interested to see if some fresh blood at Toyota would give Ralf or Jarno the kick up the backside which the both seem to need. Neither of them are rubbish drivers by a long shot, but neither do they appear remotely bothered about driving the team forward.

Ditch one of them, and to be honest it doesn't really matter which, then partner the remaining man with a Nico or a Lewis type, and you might actually see something special.

But right now at Toyota it's a case of the bland leading the bland.

[jso1985]

Heidfield IS a midfield driver, albeit at the better part of the midfield. He tooled along nicely for a couple of years at Sauber until a young hotshot rookie exloded the myth that the car was sluggish. Faced with proper competiton, Heidfeld responded.

don't know what you mean, but Heidfeld and Raikkonen debuted at Sauber in the same year

[Dave B]

Think more recently...

[Valve Bounce]

Think more recently...

Good thinking, 99.

[Mikeall]

Am I oversimplifying it but both drivers are currently driving midfield cars to midfield results which is generally what happens in F1. They get paid the money they do because that's how the contract negotiations went. Media speculation about how money affects performance is just speculation because they are not aware of everything that goes on.

Here's my speculation. Toyota want to win the world championship. Why? To cement their place as number 1 car company in the world. Toyota need experienced drivers who have won races. Why? Because the higher management will feel the right men are driving the cars. A rookie may cost $15 million a year less but top management may feel that they would in fact be wasting $200 million developing a car for a lesser driver who has no experience. A bit like employing a young engineer who has only worked in GP2 before as the technical director because his salary demands are lower.

You may feel others could do a better job in the car but it is only a feeling and Toyota are not the kind of company who have got to where they are today based on feelings. Evidence and statistics are important and at the moment they favour the incumbent drivers. However if Massa and Raikkonen or Alonso and Hamilton find their teams not big enough for the both of them, things could change.