Toyota quits F1 *confirmed*

[truefan72]

they will be back for 2010

the economic tide is turning

and they will stay in precisely for the fact that Honda pulled out and actually embarrassed themselves for leaving a championship team for nothing. If toyota pulls out, there will be a hal dozen suitors to buy them and I fully expect that car to be on the podium next year.

[Malbec]

they will be back for 2010

the economic tide is turning

and they will stay in precisely for the fact that Honda pulled out and actually embarrassed themselves for leaving a championship team for nothing. If toyota pulls out, there will be a hal dozen suitors to buy them and I fully expect that car to be on the podium next year.

Toyota are set to publish quarterly results that are again in the red whilst Honda hasn't actually made a loss this recession. The pressure is intense not only to cut costs but to be seen to be doing so especially when Toyota is going to have to permanently reduce its production capacity soon.

Where are half a dozen suitors going to come from? The same ones that pushed Honda into selling to the team management? The same ones that crowded BMW? There isn't anyone out there with the money to buy into a team these days.

The only thing keeping Toyota in is the cost of winding down their team in Germany. If they can't find a buyer (and I doubt they will) they might be happy just finding a partner to share costs with. Thats the most optimistic scenario I think.

[gloomyDAY]

Toyota is going to bail.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80002

What a disgrace! All that time and money and not a single win.

[V12]

I suppose Toyota is the biggest car manufacturer, bigger than Mercedes for a reason, they sure must be doing something right.

Being the biggest volume road car manufacturer, and being quickest on the track are two entirely different things.

I've mixed feelings about their impending departure (OK it isn't confirmed yet, but no smoke without fire and all that), good news for the traditional kind of F1 team that exists purely to go racing rather than as a car manufacturer/energy drink/Indian billionaire's marketing vehicle, but I hope this trend isn't going to allow the FIA to sneak their spec-engine wet dream in through the back door...oh well at least Max isn't around anymore!

Although this means that if Notts County F1 can't come up with the goods we'll only have 12 teams next year instead of 13

[Saint Devote]

Such a pity - Max was right after all.

[gloomyDAY]

Such a pity - Max was right after all.

Uh oh. You're gonna get banned!

[Koz]

Could we get a poll in here to see how many of us think toyota will stay and how many think they will go?
Would be interesting to see the mass consensus .

[macksrallye]

Whatever happens with F1 I sincerely hope they don't dissappear from international motorsport altogether. They have the capacity within their base in cologne to take on a WTCC or WRC/IRC campaign and that will probably cost them a hell of a lot less than F1 has, for one, you don't pay rally drivers, they pay to drive your car... don't they?

[Shifter]

For a company not selling performance as a feature of their vehicle lineup, what's the point of racing? Surely not a single Camry was sold due to their motorsports efforts, but I bet some C-Classes were.

[CNR]

http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/Mot...icle179081.ece

Toyota to quit F1

Toyota Motor is expected to announce it is quitting Formula One, joining an exodus of Japanese automakers from the multi-million dollar sport due to the global economic crisis

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,189...673022,00.html

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Toy...00911115433212

http://www.automotiveworld.com/news/...om-formula-one