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Fans See Toyota's First F-1 Podium Finish Since 2005 As A Sign Future Success

Agent009 submitted on 6/24/2008 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 8:22:38 AM

40 user comments | Category: New Cars | Source: | SOURCE: www.autosport.com

Toyota's podium finish in the French Grand Prix will act as a spur to push the team to even better results over the rest of the season, claims technical chief Pascal Vasselon.

Jarno Trulli caused a surprise in Magny-Cours when he used an upgraded car to emerge as Ferrari's closest challenger - holding off McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica for third place.

That result, on the back of a mixed start to the campaign, is viewed by Vasselon as vital in helping lift the team's efforts to deliver even better results over the remainder of the campaign.



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Fans See Toyota's First F-1 Podium Finish Since 2005 As A Sign Future Success

About the Author

Agent009

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."

— Agent009 (View Profile)


User Comments

hatepusss

Cool...Congrats to the Toyota F1 Team!

— hatepusss (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 8:55:00 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 11   

kpaxx

Trulli is a good pilot but I think toyota was lucky this time. All the front runners were held back by penlaty or in crash situations leaving the front open for second rate teams like toyota. This is evident if you look at the finishing times. You can see Trulli was holding up most of the pack which is easy to do on a circuit which has little opportunity for passing.

— kpaxx (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 9:09:08 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -6   

Brembo

He said there were "incident involved." How is that lucky?

— Brembo (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 9:14:39 AM | | Votes: 6   

sector

You remind me of a soccer fan of a losing team during World Cup... makes all the excuses in the world to justify why you lost :)

— sector (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 10:22:20 AM | | Votes: 9   

kpaxx

What are you talking about Ferrari won!

— kpaxx (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 12:05:41 PM | | Votes: -2   

sector

yeah, but BMW is also your boy :)

— sector (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 1:20:56 PM | | Votes: 3   

F1_Driver

They're all lucky, every race. Just like how BMW was lucky to score a win in Montreal. If Lewis hadn't rear-ended Kimi then Kubica wouldn't have finished first.

— F1_Driver (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 4:41:56 PM | | Votes: 3   

Brembo

Nice.

— Brembo (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 9:13:35 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6   

TurboSpyder

2008 F1 Season:

Pos Team Points

1 Ferrari - 91
2 BMW Sauber - 74
3 McLaren-Mercedes - 58
4 Red Bull-Renault - 24
5 Toyota - 23

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 11:53:30 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Agent009

I wonder what Toyota has spent in F-1 to date? Anyone have a figure?

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 10:25:38 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

TurboSpyder

Close to a billion? They should figure out their place (beige Camrys) and stay there.

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 11:55:46 AM | | Votes: -3   

Agent009

That is the figure I was looking at.

So Two podium finishes for $1,000,000,000? Wow what an investment.

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 12:25:39 PM | | Votes: 0   

abcd

I think until toyota f1 team is base in cologne ( germany ) they will never have any good results , not matter how many money they`ll spend . :)

— abcd (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 12:47:29 PM | | Votes: -3   

TurboSpyder

"I think until toyota f1 team is base in cologne ( germany ) they will never have any good results , not matter how many money they`ll spend."


Proves that money can't buy morale or motivation.

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 1:22:25 PM | | Votes: -3   

TurboSpyder

I.e., people fight harder for their own kind.

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 1:24:29 PM | | Votes: -2   

F1_Driver

Actually 5 podiums (2x2nd, 3x3rd) to date for that amount of money.

— F1_Driver (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 4:53:01 PM | | Votes: 4   

2JayZee

The Agents on this site are trolling now?

Just wow.

Anyway, Toyota has spent about 3 Billion or so, to set up an F1 operation from scratch, including building a wind tunnel and paying R.Schumacher a $25 million salary. In short about the same as what Honda [Formerly BAR], Ferrari & McLaren-Mercedes has spent in this period.

@abcd
Toyota F1, aka TTE, aka Toyota Motorsports GmbH IS based in Cologne Germany. They only build the engines in Japan.
Or did you mean "as long as" rather than "until" ?

— 2JayZee (View Profile)

Posted on 6/25/2008 12:06:32 AM | | Votes: 2   

TurboSpyder

More of a sign of starting grid penalties I would say.

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 11:50:38 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

2JayZee

Just like BMW winning was due to attrition of the fastest cars on the grid. Kubica still kept his head together and put in a stunning drive to hold it.
Trulli still had to hold of the McLaren of Kovalinen, and the BMW of Kubica.
This podium was deserved for a stunning drive and they got it with pace, on merit. Is it so hard to say "nice drive, congrats" ?

Some people.

— 2JayZee (View Profile)

Posted on 6/25/2008 12:12:54 AM | | Votes: 4   

TurboSpyder

I remember that Kubica was running second behind Hamilton before Hamilton took himself (and Räikkönen) out which allowed Kubica to take the win.

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 6/25/2008 1:26:43 AM | | Votes: -1   

Bored

@ MichaelTaylor,

Awww, would you like a Kleenex?

— Bored (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 1:41:28 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

2ndbimmer

we wont mark your words because you always post garbage.

— 2ndbimmer (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 12:50:00 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

sector

Toyota is just throwing money around (they have plenty of it anyways). If they were serious about winning, they'll win almost every race (depending on the driver's skills of course).

German makes need their presence in these events to justify to people that they are a capable automobile maker. Toyota on the other hand, don't need to convince the public, people already know they make the best cars out there and have bulletproof quality and reliability. Must Toyota be 1st in everything?

— sector (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 1:33:19 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

alfista_dk

Auto001:
You honestly believe Toyota arent serious about winning ? Lol..pull your head out off your ****

— alfista_dk (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 1:58:17 PM | | Votes: 0   

2JayZee

I guess it's a big deal cause they broke the drought? Not only that, the race was dedicated to Ove Anderson, the founder of TTE who died in a crash recently. So...good timing

The article is slightly inaccurate anyway, because the last podium was in 2006.

— 2JayZee (View Profile)

Posted on 6/25/2008 12:16:11 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

gsh23

trulli qualified 5th overall for the french gp, behind räikkönen, massa, hamilton, and alonso. thats pretty good. kubica was a full tenth slower than trulli. if he keeps this up then he will be raking in the points.

— gsh23 (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 2:47:53 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

2JayZee

Money isn't everything in F1

— 2JayZee (View Profile)

Posted on 6/25/2008 12:17:21 AM | | Votes: 1   

2JayZee

and he still had to hold his position against Kubica and Kovaleinen.

— 2JayZee (View Profile)

Posted on 6/25/2008 12:18:45 AM | | Votes: 2   

JUGNU

Congrats Toyota and Jarno. Great fight with Heikki in the last 15 laps surely made the otherwise pretty boring and predictable race.

in the last 3 laps it became even better, probably the best fighting, overtaking and defending manouvers of the season so far.

Good work Toyota, i hope they score a few more podiums.

JUGNU

— JUGNU (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 3:34:44 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

JUGNU

"surely made the otherwise pretty boring and predictable race." ....INTRESTING.

and no Jarno was not lucky other than Hmailton penalty, which he fully deserve all were in regular positions(no penalty or accident...etc) to fight.

JUGNU

— JUGNU (View Profile)

Posted on 6/24/2008 3:39:08 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

TurboSpyder

There was no victory - they finished *third*.

— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 6/25/2008 1:27:59 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Dr550

Yeah, Toyota won second runner-up. French GP is a very difficult course for passing. Congrats Jarno/Toyota, made last 15 laps fun to watch.

— Dr550 (View Profile)

Posted on 6/25/2008 2:14:14 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

huu76

It's a start. I wouldn't bank anything on it until they become more consistent.

However, they've already doubled last year's standings with 10 races left.
If they could match 2005's results within 2 years, it would spur them to invest even more money into F1.

Toyota can spend whatever they want because they can.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 6/26/2008 12:36:38 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

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