Toyota F-1 signs 3 year deal with Ralf!

[Turkish]

07/07/2004
Toyota signs three-year deal with Ralf Schumacher

Panasonic Toyota Racing has today confirmed that it has signed a three-year contract with Ralf Schumacher to be a race driver for the team from the 2005 season.

Panasonic Toyota Racing Team Principal Tsutomu Tomita said of the announcement: "It is with pleasure that we can announce Ralf as one of Toyota's race drivers for the 2005 season. He has proven himself to be an extremely quick racing driver in his career, and I am sure that his vast experience will be extremely beneficial to our team. We have not finalised who will partner Ralf in 2005, and this is something we are in no rush to decide on. We are happy with the job that Cristiano and Olivier are doing for us and both of them are under consideration for the remaining race seat next season. There are still 8 races of the season to go and everyone at Toyota is fully focussed on improving our level of performance to gain as many championship points as we can."

Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis will continue to race for Toyota in the remaining events of the 2004 season with Ricardo Zonta as third driver and Ryan Briscoe as test driver.

The team will make a decision on the remaining race seat towards the end of the season. In the meantime, Toyota will not comment on any speculation or rumours surrounding the remaining race seat until all contractual issues have been finalised.

http://www.toyota-f1.com/public/2004race_e/france/05_postrace/press01.html

He didn't like the $9M Williams offered 😛 Oh well... good for him 🙂

 

[Ogg]

Hes a loser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsdown:

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: Ogg
Hes a loser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :thumbsdown:

😀

 

[DingDingDao]

This should be interesting...are Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis both on their way out?

It amazes me that Toyota is having such a difficult time being competitive. They have an unbelievably large bankroll to work with, and the engineers at Toyota Racing aren't stupid. I wonder why they can't seem to get a car set up to be competitive.

 

[Ogg]

Originally posted by: DingDingDao
This should be interesting...are Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis both on their way out?

It amazes me that Toyota is having such a difficult time being competitive. They have an unbelievably large bankroll to work with, and the engineers at Toyota Racing aren't stupid. I wonder why they can't seem to get a car set up to be competitive.

Its the same question you have to ask about the Sauber, eh?
They have a FERRARI engine and their car is also a dog
I can already hear Ralf complaining about his back next season and thats why he cant produce any results. Its the american doctors fault and/or the crappy toyota that the team makes him drive.:roll:


Panis and DaMatta are much better drivers than Ralf. Ralf drives dirty. Im sorry for them,especailly Cristiano.🙁

 

[DingDingDao]

Originally posted by: Ogg

Originally posted by: DingDingDao
This should be interesting...are Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis both on their way out?

It amazes me that Toyota is having such a difficult time being competitive. They have an unbelievably large bankroll to work with, and the engineers at Toyota Racing aren't stupid. I wonder why they can't seem to get a car set up to be competitive.

Its the same question you have to ask about the Sauber, eh?
They have a FERRARI engine and their car is also a dog
I can already hear Ralf complaining about his back next season and thats why he cant produce any results. Its the american doctors fault and/or the crappy toyota that the team makes him drive.:roll:


Panis and DaMatta are much better drivers than Ralf. Ralf drives dirty. Im sorry for them,especailly Cristiano.🙁

Well, I can understand a little bit why Sauber can't compete. The privateer teams simply don't have the money or the resources to compete effectively in F1 (witness the top teams in the constructors championship right now: Ferrari, Renault, Honda, BMW, McLaren-Mercedes). Private teams don't have enormous amounts of money to invest in top-notch engineers and aerodynamicists, mechanics, strategists, et cetera, nor do they have 24/7 access to a test track (such as Ferrari's track at Fiorano, or McLaren-Mercedes's track at Mugello). They don't have access to a wind tunnel all the time, either.

But Toyota has none of these problems. They have a vast network of resources in Japan and Europe, test tracks, wind tunnels, and engineers and aerodynamicists at the top of the field. Shoot, they have a bigger bankroll than Ferrari or Renault. Yet they still can't compete. Granted, da Matta and Panis aren't very good drivers, and Ralf will be a huge improvement, but the fact that neither driver can compete indicates a problem with the car itself. I just don't understand why a company like Toyota has such a huge investment in Formula 1, and yet seems to not be making it the focus of their racing development.

 

[Ogg]

Originally posted by: DingDingDao


Granted, da Matta and Panis aren't very good drivers, and , Ralf will be a huge improvement

:Q:Q:Q
You have just lost my vote as coolest new atot member who likes F1

You crazy!!

 

[DingDingDao]

lol sorry that's just the way I see it.

I think BMW has major problems with their new car, evidenced by the fact that neither Montoya nor Ralf can seem to maintain their competitiveness. Last season, it looked like Williams was on track to be a major competitor this year, and that new chassis (so ugly) is doing more harm than good. I honestly think that if Ralf had a consistent car, he would be much more competitive this season than he has been.

Da Matta might have been a great driver in CART, but it's been shown in the past that drivers from American series historically don't do very well when moving up to play with the big boys. And Olivier Panis, well, his track record speaks for itself. After his big crash in Canada in 97, he just hasn't been the same driver. If you could get the Panis that was really great in the mid-90s, I'd say you have a good argument, but he hasn't been good for a long time.

 

[DivideBYZero]

On the upside, Toyota will now be using BMC Software. 😀

 

[GTaudiophile]

So WTF is going to drive for BMW?

 

[Ogg]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
So WTF is going to drive for BMW?

Mark Webber currently in a Jaguar then who knows maybe David Coulthard, Marc Gene, some other test drivers....

Williams always pick up the cheap young talent!