Jubilant Toyota Wary of Raising False Hopes

Toyota exceeded their wildest dreams with a point in their very first Formula One race on Sunday.

But team boss Ove Andersson was wary of raising false expectations among the team's Japanese bosses on a day made sweeter by both the team's Honda-engined rivals failing to finish.

"It's beginner's luck for sure," he said in the paddock after Finland's Mika Salo finished sixth in an extraordinary Australian Grand Prix that wiped out almost half the field in a first corner pile-up at Albert Park. "But the point is there and it is extremely welcome."

Toyota had cautioned repeatedly before the start of the season that they were seeking nothing more than respect and experience in their debut season and had said scoring points was little more than a pipe dream.

"Being able to be perhaps in the first 10 or something like that would have been a dream result - but a point, no never," declared Andersson.

"You have to be realistic. Ferrari, McLaren, Williams - they are out of reach basically. And then you have three or four other teams that maybe if we can improve ourselves to some extent we could be competitive with them. But normally, if all those cars finish, then nobody else could have a point.

"The problem is that now everybody expects too much from us," added the Swede. "Now maybe the management in Japan is expecting too many good things and that's not a good situation."

Lucky Point

"We have got the point...it's very lucky and, as long as we all realise that it is an incredibly lucky result and that realistically we know it shouldn't normally happen and have to work on it, then its okay. I think it helps a lot to bring a team together to see that there is the possibility of a good result if we really work on it."

Andersson said he had to "kick-start" his heart a couple of times during the race as Salo chased Australian Mark Webber's Minardi and spun when poised to overtake. That cost the Finn his chance of an even higher finish but he could still boast a proud record for his country's drivers in team debuts.

In 1993, compatriot JJ Lehto gave Sauber a point in their first ever race in South Africa.

"The car is not quite capable for a top-six place yet in a race on speed," said Salo. "But there's only about five or six people in the entire team who have been in a Formula One race before so, considering that, I think everyone's done a good job."

Back at the team's German headquarters in Cologne, the party was already well underway in the works canteen.

"We have a video conference with our guys in the company in Germany, they are celebrating like hell," beamed Andersson.