Gascoyne: We need to deliver
As the 2004 Formula 1 season drew to a close following Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix, Toyota's technical director Mike Gascoyne said the team must start producing results next year after it finished in a dismal eighth position overall with just nine points
Toyota entered the F1 fray in 2002 and is reported to have the largest budget in the pitlane, but despite its coffers it has failed to produce the results it sought when it signed up to the championship.
Gascoyne joined Toyota from Renault at the end of last season, but his influence on this year's car was understandably limited giving his team switch, but the Briton is confident that the team will be in a position to make a step forward next year.
"It (Toyota) has to start delivering from the start of next year," he said. "There's absolutely no doubt about that. I'm very confident we're in a position to do that. You can't make the step to the top in one step. It's far too difficult to do that...but I'm very confident we will make a significant step forward."
The team has two new drivers for next year - Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli, who began his Toyota campaign in Japan after leaving Renault early. It is hoped the duo will provide stability after a difficult year that saw a driver change two thirds of the way through the season when Cristiano da Matta was replaced with test driver Ricardo Zonta.
"Obviously we've had a difficult and frustrating year," he said. "I joined last December and I think our level of performance didn't come as a great surprise to me. We knew what we had to do to improve the team and a lot of that has involved work back in Cologne in the factory, in the way that we work there, and that is inevitably going to take some time.
"It's been a season of change for us and with the drivers that's reflected that, but we have to make the decisions to make sure we get set up to be in the best position at the start of next year.
"Because one thing's for sure - if this season's been disappointing, next year can't be."
Previous article
Dennis confident of JPM success
Next article
Cost-Cutting Proposal not Sensible, Says Todt
The ‘backwards step’ that is the right move for Formula 1
OPINION: With its days apparently numbered, the MGU-H looks set to be dropped from Formula 1’s future engine rules in order to entice new manufacturers in. While it may appear a change of direction, the benefits for teams and fans could make the decision a worthwhile call
The floundering fortunes of F1’s many Lotus reboots
Team Lotus ceased to exist in 1994 - and yet various parties have been trying to resurrect the hallowed name, in increasingly unrecognisable forms, ever since. DAMIEN SMITH brings GP Racing’s history of the legendary team to an end with a look at those who sought to keep the flame alive in Formula 1
Why the 2021 title fight is far from F1's worst, despite its toxic background
OPINION: Formula 1 reconvenes for the Russian Grand Prix two weeks after the latest blow in ‘Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton’. While the Silverstone and Monza incidents were controversial, they thankfully lacked one element that so far separates the 2021 title fight from the worst examples of ugly championship battles
How F1’s other champion to emerge from 1991 thrived at Lotus
Mika Hakkinen became Michael Schumacher’s biggest rival in Formula 1 in the late-90s and early 2000s, having also made his F1 debut in 1991. But as MARK GALLAGHER recalls, while Schumacher wowed the world with a car that was eminently capable, Hakkinen was fighting to make his mark with a famous team in terminal decline
The forgotten F1 comeback that began Jordan’s odyssey
Before Michael Schumacher – or anyone else – had driven the 191 (or 911 as it was initially called), Eddie Jordan turned to a fellow Irishman to test his new Formula 1 car. JOHN WATSON, a grand prix winner for Penske and McLaren, recalls his role in the birth of a legend…
The squandered potential of a 70s F1 underdog
A podium finisher in its first outing but then never again, the BRM P201 was a classic case of an opportunity squandered by disorganisation and complacency, says STUART CODLING
The other notable Monza escape that F1 should learn from
OPINION: The headlines were dominated by the Italian Grand Prix crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who had the halo to thank for avoiding potentially serious injury. But two days earlier, Formula 1 had a lucky escape with a Monza pitlane incident that could also have had grave consequences
How Monza only added more questions to F1's sprint race conundrum
With two sprint races under its belt, Formula 1 must now consider its options for them going forward. While they've helped deliver exciting racing on Sundays, the sprints themselves have been somewhat lacking - creating yet another conundrum for F1 to solve...
