A Happy New Year to all my readers!
And on this, the first day of 2008, I hear that Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota team boss, has been given two years to bring some F1 success to the Japanese giant. The cynic in me immediately asks, "Or else what?"
Presumably it means that Toyota will withdraw from the sport if no breakthrough is made. And that confirms what I have been saying about manufacturers in F1 - that they are here for marketing purposes and will leave if the sales do not flow from their involvement. ING professes to be very happy with its investment in F1 this year, even though Renault have failed to provide them with the success required for full coverage, but there are two additional factors that need to be taken into account when considering the bank's sponsorship.
Renault have had a bad year after winning the previous two championships; so they have already increased their visibility to television, forcing some attention to be concentrated upon their fortunes, good or bad. And ING have backed their involvement with a strong international advertising campaign that was bound to provide results with or without F1. It is debatable to what extent F1 has assisted in their marketing drive, therefore, regardless of how happy they are with it.
Toyota have no success in previous years to encourage interest in their present performance. And it is likely that their participation in F1 has had very little impact upon their sales. This is an inescapable conclusion in view of the time limit given to Yamashina - the bosses see no benefit rolling in and they need something to persuade them to stay in the game.
I have heard it said that just participation is sufficient for Toyota, that they need the market to see them as a company with sporting credentials. But this latest news shows that, without sporting success, the credentials are as good as non-existent. Toyota knows that it needs to win.
Can it be done in the time available? The likelihood is that it cannot, especially when we take into account Yamashina's comments. There is some hope in that he mentions organization - and we all know that this has been a prime factor in preventing Toyota from realizing their potential. Yet it is unfortunate that, in the same breath, he says that no one person can make a difference.
How wrong he is. History is littered with men who made all the difference to their F1 teams: Colin Chapman, who was Lotus, Ken Tyrrell, who built a winning team around his ability to see talent in unknown drivers, Ross Brawn, who has twice built teams to championship status and prepares to do it again. The plain fact is that personnel is the most important ingredient to any F1 team and so we watch the proven ones like Mike Gascoyne and Adrian Newey, knowing that their presence will make a difference wherever they go. No need for me to point out who found Gascoyne surplus to requirements...
So it is difficult to see where the design spark is going to come from to provide Toyota with a winning edge. They can build a car that competes for points, they have proved that again and again, but winning requires a little more that they do not seem to possess. And, having produced the design, they are going to need someone special in the driving seat to make the most of whatever potential the car has.
I actually approve of the team's decision to retain Jarno Trulli as one of their drivers this year. He is undoubtedly very quick over one lap and so provides a yardstick for his team mate, a way to judge the performance of a new driver. Timo Glock is going to have his work cut out if he is going to qualify higher up the grid than Trulli, and that is the first step towards good results in the races.
Yet neither driver strikes me as one who can galvanize a team in the way that a Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso can (say what you like about Fernando, he certainly knows how to make the team notice him). Unless Glock surprises me by showing a lot more gumption than I saw in his GP2 season in 2007, it looks as though Toyota have still not found the driver they need.
Ralf has pointed out that Toyota made no particular effort to engage Ross Brawn's services; and the rumors of Toyota interest in Alonso turned out to be pretty much without foundation. Which leads me to think that they do not recognize opportunity when it appears and so will carry on down the path they have set for themselves - competence without brilliance.
Poor Yamashina has an uphill task, it would seem.
And on this, the first day of 2008, I hear that Tadashi Yamashina, Toyota team boss, has been given two years to bring some F1 success to the Japanese giant. The cynic in me immediately asks, "Or else what?"
Presumably it means that Toyota will withdraw from the sport if no breakthrough is made. And that confirms what I have been saying about manufacturers in F1 - that they are here for marketing purposes and will leave if the sales do not flow from their involvement. ING professes to be very happy with its investment in F1 this year, even though Renault have failed to provide them with the success required for full coverage, but there are two additional factors that need to be taken into account when considering the bank's sponsorship.
Renault have had a bad year after winning the previous two championships; so they have already increased their visibility to television, forcing some attention to be concentrated upon their fortunes, good or bad. And ING have backed their involvement with a strong international advertising campaign that was bound to provide results with or without F1. It is debatable to what extent F1 has assisted in their marketing drive, therefore, regardless of how happy they are with it.
Toyota have no success in previous years to encourage interest in their present performance. And it is likely that their participation in F1 has had very little impact upon their sales. This is an inescapable conclusion in view of the time limit given to Yamashina - the bosses see no benefit rolling in and they need something to persuade them to stay in the game.
I have heard it said that just participation is sufficient for Toyota, that they need the market to see them as a company with sporting credentials. But this latest news shows that, without sporting success, the credentials are as good as non-existent. Toyota knows that it needs to win.
Can it be done in the time available? The likelihood is that it cannot, especially when we take into account Yamashina's comments. There is some hope in that he mentions organization - and we all know that this has been a prime factor in preventing Toyota from realizing their potential. Yet it is unfortunate that, in the same breath, he says that no one person can make a difference.
How wrong he is. History is littered with men who made all the difference to their F1 teams: Colin Chapman, who was Lotus, Ken Tyrrell, who built a winning team around his ability to see talent in unknown drivers, Ross Brawn, who has twice built teams to championship status and prepares to do it again. The plain fact is that personnel is the most important ingredient to any F1 team and so we watch the proven ones like Mike Gascoyne and Adrian Newey, knowing that their presence will make a difference wherever they go. No need for me to point out who found Gascoyne surplus to requirements...
So it is difficult to see where the design spark is going to come from to provide Toyota with a winning edge. They can build a car that competes for points, they have proved that again and again, but winning requires a little more that they do not seem to possess. And, having produced the design, they are going to need someone special in the driving seat to make the most of whatever potential the car has.
I actually approve of the team's decision to retain Jarno Trulli as one of their drivers this year. He is undoubtedly very quick over one lap and so provides a yardstick for his team mate, a way to judge the performance of a new driver. Timo Glock is going to have his work cut out if he is going to qualify higher up the grid than Trulli, and that is the first step towards good results in the races.
Yet neither driver strikes me as one who can galvanize a team in the way that a Michael Schumacher or Fernando Alonso can (say what you like about Fernando, he certainly knows how to make the team notice him). Unless Glock surprises me by showing a lot more gumption than I saw in his GP2 season in 2007, it looks as though Toyota have still not found the driver they need.
Ralf has pointed out that Toyota made no particular effort to engage Ross Brawn's services; and the rumors of Toyota interest in Alonso turned out to be pretty much without foundation. Which leads me to think that they do not recognize opportunity when it appears and so will carry on down the path they have set for themselves - competence without brilliance.
Poor Yamashina has an uphill task, it would seem.