There has been talk for a long time that Toyota will give up on its Formula 1 dream soon, after years of failure. The team seemed to be moving in the right direction under previous boss Ove Andersson, but he was forced to retire in 2004 when he reached Toyota’s mandatory age of retirement. Although Andersson remained as an advisor the new management went its own way, which was frustrating for the Swede and eventually he lost interest. The same executive attitudes resulted in the departure of Mike Gascoyne, who Andersson had hired, because he was deemed not enough of a team player. Since his dismissal Toyota F1 has drifted along with occasional flashes of potential, but victory has remained unattainable. Despite the huge advantage of having a double diffuser at the start of the year, the team has gradually slipped back to fifth in the Constructors’ standings. This would be sixth if the Williams drivers had not thrown away as many points as they have.
Toyota has tried different engineers, different drivers and even different team principals but the problem has remained the same. Formula 1 insiders believe that the major issue is the company’s corporate culture and the fact that executives are often worried about their positions within the Toyota empire so tend not to take risks. There is also a culture of teamwork which some feel involves an excessive number of committee meetings and not enough action.
Toyota executives have what to appears to be a completely unshakeable belief that the concept of kaizen (改善) will produce results. It has always worked for the car company and it assumed that it will eventually work in Formula 1. The theory of kaizen is that one measures performance, compares that to what is needed and then looks for ways to improve. One then introduces the changes and the cycle is repeated over and over until success is achieved. The problem is that keizen is fundamentally a reactive process while in F1 success is usually the result not only of constant refinement, but also because creative thinking is actively encouraged and there is no fear that a failure will affect one’s position.
F1 is all about taking risks.
The word in Singapore is that the team is not going to renew Jarno Trulli’s contract. This is not a surprise. The Italian is a great qualifier, but in races he often loses motivation when things do not go well. His value is that the team can see how fast its car will go because it is generally accepted that Jarno is the fastest driver of them all over one lap. Timo Glock rarely qualifies as well but is a great racer. The current F1 format, however, penalises poor qualifiers as overtaking is extremely difficult. Toyota has an option on Glock but the team does not appear to want to take it up just yet. This is interpreted as being a sign that the company will give up in F1 at the end of the year. Given the huge investment that has been made this would be a major setback. It might be wiser to change the management and use racing people rather than corporate executives.
If Toyota does quit F1 it is likely that the company will try to hide the failure beneath a new challenge and it has long been rumoured that the plan would be to try to win Le Mans with a hybrid. This would safeguard the jobs of some of those in Cologne.
Given that they don’t want to renew Glock’s option, it would not suprise me if they quit. Indeed, unless they got someone like Rosberg or Kubica for enxt year, I think they would be hard-pressed to find a better driver than Glock at the moment.
I hate to see another car manufacturer leave Formula One, but I think that Toyota will be the next victim. I think it is important to have the auto manufacturers in the sport to keep ties to road cars. I was disappointed by Honda’s exit from the sport, but then again I was disappointed with their cars’ performance on the track, so maybe that wasn’t such a loss…
Renault has a few championships to their credit, they’ve got a free second chance, and I doubt that they will leave before the end of 2012. Ferrari–despite my blasé attitude toward them–is entrenched in Formula One with the most success in the sport ever, and unless someone blows up Maranello they stand no chance of leaving. Mercedes-Benz will stick to the sidelines being a McClaren engine supplier, and, with the possible purchase of Brawn, will stay a significant force on the track. Out of all the remaining auto manufacturers, Toyota is the only one without a Constructors Championship–hell, at least Honda has made engines in the past that have brought cars (McClarens) across the line.
I agree, Toyota has to look at themselves and wonder if they should build a Toyota Prius LMP. Audi has been dynamite with a diesel, and with the success (subjective, I guess, but I think it has done well on occasion) of KERS, I don’t see why it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Toyota is probably the most poorly run manufacturer team year by year still in F1. They never keep a consistent line up, and the duo of Trulli and Glock is by far their best pairing to date. To give that up would be sad. To give up F1 would be ridiculous. Where are the Toyota board members who had the Supra, MR-2 and Celica all in production at the same time? Those are the only kind of corporate leaders who should be allowed to call the shots for the F1 team.
Leaving aside whether Toyota will or will not be competing, can it really be the case that Toyota execs are so rigidly wedded to the concept of kaizen, as you describe Joe?
I seem to have been reading this as the reason for Toyota’s lack of F1 success for years now, and certainly it was cited as one of the reasons for Mike Gascoine’s departure.
The differences between successful mass car production and sales success, and bespoke F1 car production and GP success, have been so often discussed, and I would venture to suggest, monotonously demonstrated, that even the most blinkered Toyota executive, regardless of his position in the company, must surely understand that kaizen will never work in F1. And never could.
What on earth must the board back in Japan be thinking? Or alternatively, what are they being told?
It’s not as if Toyota hasn’t been successful in other motorsport formulae.
There must surely be a bigger story lurking somewhere between Cologne and Japan just waiting to be discovered, if and when Toyota pull out of the sport.
My guess; maybe the corporate masters simply don’t want to win, because their gravy train might hit the buffers prematurely? What a fantastic story of corporate mismanagement that would be…
From your last post Joe, Toyota: Heikki Kovalainen? – Kazuki Nakajima.
Boring, stale, predictable… Guess that’s a great fit then.
With Honda gone and Toyota possibly going perhaps it would be a good time for Nissan to dip it’s toe in the F1 water?
I know this is unlikely with the world economy as it is but I have often thought them conspicuous by their continued absence.
a retreat to sportscars seems to be the way they will go, its something they know and have done well at before, they could be trumpeting Le Mans victory in a couple of years which would wash the bad taste from the mouth that their F1 project will leave behind. Maybe Kaizen works with Le Mans prototypes? after all its only one race per year, that may give them enough time to hold all their meetings and make a decision or two.
“The team seemed to be moving in the right direction under previous boss Ove Andersson, but he was forced to retire in 2004 when he reached Toyota’s mandatory age of retirement”
Says it all really.
I think you are right Joe, Toyota should get some experienced “F1 racing people” to manage it ? But the problem for Toyota is bigger than just that. Its hard for a mass market car manufacturer to do everything at the (best in world) level needed to win in F1 even with the most money. Money is vital but is not the only thing needed, there are other things Toyota have been lacking in their F1 mix. Elite engine power lately, elite driver who can both qualify and then race at front (like an Alonso or Raikinon) and independant racer owner/manager of team.
If I was the global marketing manager of Toyota I would sell the F1 team to the highest bidder. Then with a core of engine , etc.. people who like to take a few risks – concentrate all efforts/resources on building the equal to or best engine in F1 and supply it to a top team (like Mecedes have been doing with Hamilton,
/vodaphone/Mc Laren.) Red Bull would be an ok start as they have Mr S Vettel (a genuine potential future world champ), serious money and most importantly they have Adrian Newey , the best F1 designer in the business !
You need 5 crucial things for best chance of success in Formula one, best engine, best Aerodynamic design and continuous development , big money sponsor, elite talented driver who can (qualify and race at front) and independant “Racer culture” management who idealy own the team. If you own something you are driven harder to succeed. Its human nature.
They have the right idea by supplying Williams with the Toyota engine. But the engine they are suppling is not powerful enough maybe because they have too many balls in the air with their own team? Williams have shown some potential this year with young talent Rosberg. But Rosberg is still developing as an elite driver and Toyota made a mistake putting a Japanese driver (who is good, but not good enough to win) in the other car just because he is Japanese. If they had of payed the bill for a top driver like Alonso in the williams and put a massive focus on engine as well as got Panasonic to throw some money at it Williams Toyota would have won races this year.
Basically they are spreading their resources too thin to get in the pointy end.
Watching the Jaguar experience (and being somewhat gutted
by it) demonstrated to me that corporations meddling in the
way F1 teams are run is not a mix that breeds success.
[...] Toyota hedging its bets – Joe Saward’s Grand Prix Blog Whispers about the future of Toyota. (tags: Toyota manufacturers TimoGlock JarnoTrulli) [...]
I find that the problem I have with Toyota is that when they find that their car isn’t as quick as their competitors, they try to solve the problem by throwing money at it, thinking everything will sort itself out in the process.
Reality check, Toyota – it doesn’t!
McLaren came to their senses mid-season and ceased their stupid “scatter-gun” method to developing new parts, and look at them now. Back to winning way with 2 victories under their belt this season. I think they’re a safe bet for 2010 if their resurgence keeps building up speed like it is right now.
It’s like I mentioned in my last post on my blog – it’s not how much you have, it’s how you use it that matters most. McLaren have gotten that into their heads, but Toyota seem to be pretty ignorant when it comes to this. No wonder they’re the next favourite team to pull out. With the way the team’s run, it’s a joke compared to the others. Letting go of Mike Gascoyne was the biggest mistake they ever made.
That and they should have promoted Franck Montagny to a race drive.
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“With Honda gone and Toyota possibly going perhaps it would be a good time for Nissan to dip it’s toe in the F1 water?”
Nissan and Renault are almost the same company nowadays.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea for Renault to be re-badged as Nissan as its the perfect time to do it due to the negative press about them cheating. Toyota is probably too proud to quit F1 just yet, at least before they win their first race, this would be justified by their belief that money will solve the problem (costly error but their arrogance need to be maintained so they can prove a point)
Toyota has just released the information that they have renewed the sponsorship with ZF. There are rumors that they are very advanced in negotiations with PETROBRAS, the giant oil company from Brazil which was Williams sponsor for several years. Toyota Motor Company has interest in improving its sells in Brazil and a partnership with a Brazilian company will be very helpful.
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