Toyota quits F1 *confirmed*

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Originally Posted by ArrowsFA1

As with Honda you wonder whether Toyota would be withdrawing if they were winning races. The "current severe economic realities" rather go hand in hand with the lack of success IMHO.

Ultimately this is what manufacturers do, and have done for years, where F1 is concerned. They come and go when circumstances suit them. Whether any of the new 2010 teams will be around for as long as Toyota were only time will tell.

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To an extent that could be a factor but you must also remember these firms have made many, many people redundant in Japan and are under severe governement and union pressure to downsize while their profits plunge.

Right now F1 is an excess Toyota doesn't really need, because as other have said they concentrate on smaller cars/hybrids and that doesn't tie into F1 at all.

Still it doesn't come as a great surprise. Feel terrible for the staff in Cologne who i hope can find employment at another team, or someone can take over the facility for motorsport activity of some description. Also bad news for Koba who has already said he has no budget for GP2 in 2010

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Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

To an extent that could be a factor but you must also remember these firms have made many, many people redundant in Japan and are under severe governement and union pressure to downsize while their profits plunge.

Right now F1 is an excess Toyota doesn't really need, because as other have said they concentrate on smaller cars/hybrids and that doesn't tie into F1 at all.

Still it doesn't come as a great surprise. Feel terrible for the staff in Cologne who i hope can find employment at another team, or someone can take over the facility for motorsport activity of some description. Also bad news for Koba who has already said he has no budget for GP2 in 2010

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Aye, we all thought he would be nailed on for a drive in 2010 after sundays good showing, now theres a bit of doubt in it. Still though its great news for Thiessen and Sauber as this announcement means they've just got themselves back in, heres hoping that spending the last few months in limbo about their future has not hindered them when it comes to developing their 2010 car.

What im concerned about though is Toyota signing the new Concorde Agreement back in the summer, does this announcement mean they are now in breach of that contract and that Ecclestone and the FIA have a good case to take to court?

I think that this proves something which many people felt. The corporate approach fails to deliver in Formula 1. We saw it with Toyota, we saw it with BMW and with Honda as well. Yes, Honda built that wonderful car which won the WDC and the WCC, but it was the small team of Brawn which guided it to success. I think that at the beginning of the season Rubens Barrichello admitted that the atmosphere in Brawn GP makes for the success, as it is different from the atmosphere in Honda. BMW were also more successful with "Williams" than as a manu team. I think that this should show manufacturers that it is better for them to ally themselves with racing teams with racing thinking, like Mercedes did with McLaren and Ross Brawn. And don't point me Ferrari and Renault. We all know that Ferrari is pure racing team and Renault is the old Benetton.

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Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

To an extent that could be a factor but you must also remember these firms have made many, many people redundant in Japan and are under severe governement and union pressure to downsize while their profits plunge.

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That's a fair point :up: but there is always pressure on a company like Toyota to justify the expense of something like F1. That pressure will have been increasing since 2002 given their comparative lack of success.

Whether it was economics, or their wish to direct money into their road cars, there was always going to be a tipping point at which the Toyota board said 'no more'. Had things been different that may have been after they had won races and championships.

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Originally Posted by I am evil Homer

Still it doesn't come as a great surprise. Feel terrible for the staff in Cologne who i hope can find employment at another team, or someone can take over the facility for motorsport activity of some description. Also bad news for Koba who has already said he has no budget for GP2 in 2010

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:up:

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Originally Posted by gloomyDAY

Uh oh. You're gonna get banned! :)

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Wag! :eek: :)

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Originally Posted by DazzlaF1

What im concerned about though is Toyota signing the new Concorde Agreement back in the summer, does this announcement mean they are now in breach of that contract and that Ecclestone and the FIA have a good case to take to court?

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It seems that way:

"The news is going to cost Toyota a great deal of money. It will not only have to lay off its huge staff in Cologne, but will also have to reach a financial settlement with the Formula One group as it had committed to staying in F1 until the end of 2012. There are now likely to be discussions about how much money Toyota will have it pay in compensation to get out of its commitments made when it signed the new Concorde Agreement."

Source: Joe Saward ( http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2009/...firms-pullout/ )

However, it does make the team more attractive to any potential buyers, if there are some out there.

Are the engines made in Cologne? Coudl someone take that side over?

Hardly a huge shock - a perfect example of how not to run a F1 team. Lean/Six Sigma may work with their Manufacturing, but is far too slow for Motorsport, when instant decisions are often needed. A perfect example of why Manufacturers are only in it for themselves, and not the sport.
Just what on earth were they meant to be promoting though? Are there any 'Sporting' Toyota cars?

I have heard that when a team doesn't have guys with racing experience running a racing team (see BMW) that team's expectations will never be met.

The only problem now is engines. I'm not sure that four suppliers will be enough.

Should be - Merc can supply 4 teams (McLaren, Brawn, FI and 1 more), Renault are still there, Cosworth is powering the new teams + Williams. All depends if anyone wants/is allowed to use Ferrari engines.

But it seems absured that BMW and Toyota have the facilities that could be lost.