Toyota Signs Jarno Trulli

I am so excited, i can't wait for this racing season to end.
Next year for the 2005 racing season, Toyota will have
Ralf Schumacher, and Jarno Trulli racing in the all new TF105!!

Now Toyota doesn't have anymore excuses. It's time to deliver. The last few season's have been depressing to watch. Hopefully the new drivers can help the team move up in the standing next year.




Here is the artilce about Jarno Truili:

Jarno Trulli completes Toyota's 2005 driver line-up
The Panasonic Toyota Racing team has today confirmed that Jarno Trulli will join the team as a race driver from 2005. The Italian driver signed a two-year contract on Tuesday 14 September at Toyota Motorsport's headquarters in Cologne, which will see him partner German driver Ralf Schumacher from next season.

Trulli will drive a Toyota F1 car for the first time at the Silverstone Circuit in Britain today.

Jarno Trulli is one of only four drivers to have won a Grand Prix in 2004, having dominated the Monaco GP to take his debut race victory. In his eight seasons in Formula 1, Jarno has made four trips to the podium and scored two pole positions.

Toyota currently plans for Ricardo Zonta to drive the third car in Friday free practice sessions, as well as undertaking extensive test duties alongside Olivier Panis in 2005.

Ryan Briscoe will still be contracted to Toyota in 2005, but will not be a regular Panasonic Toyota Racing race or test driver. He will, however, continue to receive support from the team as he looks to find a race seat for next year.

Tsutomu Tomita - Team Principal
"It is no secret that we have been speaking with Jarno Trulli for some time about the possibility for him to join Panasonic Toyota Racing, but contrary to recent reports, we have only finalised contractual details this week. Jarno has really shown his maturity and all-round talent this season, both in qualifying and in races, and we believe that he will be the perfect team-mate to Ralf at Toyota from next season. On that note, I would like to set the record straight early and stress that there are no driver orders at Toyota; Ralf and Jarno will have equal number one status with us. We are also looking forward to Ricardo staying with the team in 2005 as our Friday driver at races. Along with Olivier, Ricardo has demonstrated a strong commitment and motivation to the team over the last two years. I firmly believe that both Olivier and Ricardo will excel in test and development roles with Toyota. With Ralf, Jarno, Olivier and Ricardo, I think that Panasonic Toyota Racing will have one of the strongest driver line-ups in Formula 1 for next season."

I always thought this racing was stupid. Going around in circles. Very interesting....:disappoin :thumbdown

^ everthing is a circle if you look at it that way. go to work, drive home. go to school drive home. at least the indy/formula 1 racing isn't oval, i can understand your argument there, but circuit racing is pretty good.

and thats pretty tight toyota has Schumacher driving for them. they should put a 1mz in there and see what he can do!(ha, sorry, im kinda 'tipsey' right now:D )

Originally posted by CamNub
I always thought this racing was stupid. Going around in circles. Very interesting....:disappoin :thumbdown

wft are u talking about??......:confused:

F1 is the pinnacle of motorsports racing......on a side note..nice to see JV back next year also....

Originally posted by MRQturbo
wft are u talking about??......:confused:

F1 is the pinnacle of motorsports racing......on a side note..nice to see JV back next year also....

he's actually back as for next week.
Renault took him for the last 3 races of the season before going to Sauber for 05 and 06.

as for Toyota not having any excuses, i don't think they had any excuse this year. It very obviously wasn't the drivers' fault but will they be willing to admit to that? The car was slow from the get-go and they didn't make that big of a jump in terms of performance going ot the 104B either.

As far as drivers lineup go, aside from Ferrari, I think Williams, Maclaren AND maybeRenault have a better lineup than Toyota.

Originally posted by CamNub
I always thought this racing was stupid. Going around in circles. Very interesting....:disappoin :thumbdown

Until you've been to an F1 race in person, you won't understand. It's a rush - especially if you pick a hot corner to sit at and watch everone's attempts to pass (and the parts fly) ;)

Originally posted by CamNub
I always thought this racing was stupid. Going around in circles. Very interesting....:disappoin :thumbdown

Um, this isn't Nascar:lol:

Well i wasn't impressed with how well JV performed this weekend in the Chinese Grand Prix. I know that he is capable of performing better.

Button had a good race for BAR-Honda. I have been very impressed with how well BAR is doing this year. They are holding down second in the constructors standing.

Now if only Toyota can start performing better next season. This season is another write of for Toyota.

how bout micheal schumacher.....starting off the grid dead last....roaring his way back....too bad he spun out and had a blown tire...i'm sure he would have made it in the points....i was also disappointed with JV performance....i'd like to see him behind a BAR car again and see how he does.....maybe he will finally realizes that to win in F1...its a team effort.....

Originally posted by rolla-XRS
Until you've been to an F1 race in person, you won't understand. It's a rush - especially if you pick a hot corner to sit at and watch everone's attempts to pass (and the parts fly) ;)

i couldn't agree more.

trulli is an excellent pick up for toyota. now that he's finally won a race, that weight will finally be off his shoulders. now as for ralf, i don't know. he seemed good in 2003, but i still don't think he's as good as everyone rates him.

toyota should have an excellent car next year. it will the first car totally designed under mike gascoyne, the guy who brought renault back to the front. the engine should have good power too.

too bad mclaren is gonna win every race...:D

^^only if ferrari doesn't race anymore......

Originally posted by CamNub
I always thought this racing was stupid. Going around in circles. Very interesting....:disappoin :thumbdown

:slap: :banhim: :lol:

on a side note....does anyone know how much money is awarded in F1 to drivers and/or teams for winning each race??.....

Toyota will own in 05.
But.....I said this as the start of last season too. hahaha

Now that they have gascoyne they will be faster. He had no input on the tf104 and very little on the bspec car.

I've already got my tickets for the 2005 Montreal grand prix :) I cant wait.

My hearing has never been the same since i started going to watch formula 1.
The indy cars that race in toronto are nothing once you hear the ear peircing sound of a N/A V10 redlining at 19000RPM.
mmmmmm.

:D

I'm not too enthusiastic about Trulli and R.S.. Toyota had WAY better choices than these.
Trulli is not a consistent driver and lacks the skills and guts that takes to take the team anywhere. Winning at Monaco had more to do with other pilots leaving the race than sheer driving skills.

Ralph also lacks some consistency, he has a brilliant race once and on the other he screws up big time. He shi** his pants if he sees his brother pulling up from behind and gives him the right of way without fighting the possition; if it's the other way around then he wouldn't even challange his brother.

IMHO J.V. would have been a better pick for the team, has more guts and brawn than many others and holds up under pressure, his only problem is he has to work a little more on his people skills

I had so much hope for Da Matta back when they first signed him. I really wish he had done better... :disappoin

Originally posted by AE92_GT-S
Well i wasn't impressed with how well JV performed this weekend in the Chinese Grand Prix. I know that he is capable of performing better.

Button had a good race for BAR-Honda. I have been very impressed with how well BAR is doing this year. They are holding down second in the constructors standing.

Now if only Toyota can start performing better next season. This season is another write of for Toyota.

considering he has only had 136 laps in total at silverstone w/ the R24 + the fact that he hasn't driven a F1 car in 11 months, i found that finish to be quite normal.

surely you weren't expecting a repeat of Albert Park in 1996?

Between DC and Trulli, i would've picked DC. A better PR guy than Trulli IMO, and have more experience.

On the other hand, i'm not THAT impressed w/ BAR.
2nd race in a row where they've let a win slip from their grasp.

Originally posted by MRQturbo
on a side note....does anyone know how much money is awarded in F1 to drivers and/or teams for winning each race??.....

that info is kept very hush hush. i believe it's all part of the concorde agreement between the teams and the fia, possibly the most well guarded document on the face of the earth. there's been a lot of disagreement between the teams and bernie eccelstone over the splitting of tv money, but i don't know about the money they get for their positions in a race.

as for the drivers, here's my take:

coulthard: very consistent and good for pr, yes, but at the same time he's struggled horribly with one lap qualifying, which isn't going anywhere unless the purnell/f1 racing plan is pushed through the fia very quickly.

villeneuve: a former world champ who's lost his talent. overly arrogant, egotistical, and only occasionally fast. looks desperate by signing for sauber.

trulli: very quick over a lap, but sometimes falters during the race. has the potential but really hasn't shown it all the time.

i think toyota should have taken a risk and gone for anthony davidson. he's shown himself to be VERY quick and certainly would cost a fraction of what ralf is going to be making.

these are just my opinions, but F1 is something i'm very opinionated about!

i don't get the hype over davidson.
if he's got as much talent as most ppl make him out to have, surely SOMEONE would've jumped to sign him already.

however, NO ONE inside the ropes have been going head over heels for the brit (unlike Ron Dennis when he signed Kimi); so maybe they know something we don't.

remember ant has raced before in a MInardi, and the results were lackluster at best.

ant looks to be another alex wurz than a kimi raikkonen.

Regardless of how well Toyota does this year and next year in Forumula I still will support them. (Cheer for them) I have been cheering on the team since day one,
I'm just a little bit dissapointed in the results that the team has gotten the last few seasons.

I'm sure the team will start getting things together......even for a team with loads of $$ will be bad for a while. I supported them from day one and will support them until they're gone (which i hope won't happen for a long while). Williams, McLaren, and also Ferrari had their time in the midfield. I don't see anything different for Toyota.

Can I just say how surprised I am at Oliver Panis' performance this season? I look back at "Formula 1 Decade" on Speed channel and see him in past races, and I'm like, "this guy's going to be great," and then this season just didn't come together for Toyota at all.

Also, by the way, I can't say just how surprised and psyched I am that other people here like F1 also. That's just marvelous stuff. Thanks guys.

Nevertheless, your general concensus on an amazing driver's lineup is right, with Trulli, and Ralf, it should really be a great boost.

the team to watch next year, IF Button lands at Williams, would be them.

next would be MacLaren, and after that would be toyota (w/ Renault being close by in terms of in-team battle excitement)

aside from Ferrari, next year looks to be pretty darn good on paper when it comes to driver lineups

I was dissapointed with Jarno's performance during the race in Suzka. He did start of with a good qualifying postion. But i could tell that the car is very weak and needs a lot of work.

Jarno did his best, but the car just isn't competitive enough this year :thumbdown

Originally posted by lcarocha
I'm not too enthusiastic about Trulli and R.S.. Toyota had WAY better choices than these.
Trulli is not a consistent driver and lacks the skills and guts that takes to take the team anywhere. Winning at Monaco had more to do with other pilots leaving the race than sheer driving skills.

Ralph also lacks some consistency, he has a brilliant race once and on the other he screws up big time. He shi** his pants if he sees his brother pulling up from behind and gives him the right of way without fighting the possition; if it's the other way around then he wouldn't even challange his brother.

IMHO J.V. would have been a better pick for the team, has more guts and brawn than many others and holds up under pressure, his only problem is he has to work a little more on his people skills

So true...
I remember at about 1/4 of the way through the season I said to my housemate that Ralf would go to Toyota at the end of the season...fool didnt believe me. :D

But Toyota screwed up, Trulli Id have, but bump off Ralf and maybe sign Coulthard he he he. JV cant hack it anymore than Ralf can...

Cheers
DRaKeN

Originally posted by AE92_GT-S
I was dissapointed with Jarno's performance during the race in Suzka. He did start of with a good qualifying postion. But i could tell that the car is very weak and needs a lot of work.

Jarno did his best, but the car just isn't competitive enough this year :thumbdown

From what i can see it isnt even the car so much as the tyres.
Toyota has had this problem all year, the michelins preformance drop off during longer runs.

Theres rumors that Toyota and Honda are being pressured by Bridgestone and they may make the switch. That would be interesting.

Originally posted by Rico_S
From what i can see it isnt even the car so much as the tyres.
Toyota has had this problem all year, the michelins preformance drop off during longer runs.

Theres rumors that Toyota and Honda are being pressured by Bridgestone and they may make the switch. That would be interesting.

I heard about those rumors before, but won't that be interesting if Toyota and Honda improve dramaticly due to switching tire manufacturers.

neither toyota nor b.a.r. (who use honda engines) will switch to bridgestone. none of the top teams or the wanna-be top teams will switch to bridgestone. bridgestone only cares about one team, and particularly one driver: m schumacher and his little red machine. that's why b.a.r. left bridgestone at the end of last year, and that's why mclaren left them 3 or 4 years ago. unless you design your car like the ferrari (a la sauber), the bridgestones won't be designed for your car. that's why only sauber, jordan, and minardi use bridgestone outside of ferrari. granted, the fact that tire companies can make different compunds for different teams has helped the situation, but it hasn't done enough.

It would be good to see Goodyear back in F1 or any of the other tire manufacturers, I'm really intrigued on how would Toyo, Falken, Yokohama, Kuhmo or whatever would fare in F1.
IMHO, Toyo and other small manufacturers makes far better rubber for everyday sportcar than Michelin or Bridgestone, sure Potenzas and Pilots are great but....

kumho is rumoured to enter in 06 or 07

What does everyone think Toyota needs to do so that they can improve in F1? Is it the drivers, design? What is holding Toyota back?

I think it is more of the design (aerodynamics) and tyres that are the problem. I don't think Oilver and Da Matta could drive the TF104, and TF104B any better. Look at Jarno, he couldn't get any better results the last two races for Toyota this season.

It's all aerodynamics.
They aint getting enough downforce.
If they got more downforce,the tyres would last longer.
Hopefully gascoynes input on this car will help. it better!

I think toyota will be quick next year, it seems like they should be able to pick up the pace a bit, but only time will tell.

and as for experincing a race, there is nothing like it! I went to the US grand prix this year and it was amazing, sat in turn one. The braking power of those cars is absolutely phenomenal, truly a spectacle to see. The sound is the greatest on earth.

Originally posted by AE92_GT-S
What does everyone think Toyota needs to do so that they can improve in F1? Is it the drivers, design? What is holding Toyota back?

I think it is more of the design (aerodynamics) and tyres that are the problem. I don't think Oilver and Da Matta could drive the TF104, and TF104B any better. Look at Jarno, he couldn't get any better results the last two races for Toyota this season.

there's something about Jarno's pace at the mid-latter stage of the race that bothers me from a toyota fan point of view.

seems to drop off the pace for no apparent reason. (or reason that we don't know or can't see on TV)

i think Toyota is suffering a bit of what BAR suffered in their early stages. TONS of money, lack of structure and prudent and efficient usage of resources.

not to mention it seems the heads at toyota are a bit over anxious to see results and thus like to fire / restructure the F1 team VERY quickly.

that won't work in F1, rome wasn't built in a day and i just hope they have some patience w/ the engineers and designers so at least they can develop and improve the designs.

I want to watch a JCGT in Asia. Now those are fun to watch. Here in the US, Nascars going around in circles for more than four hours....:thumbdown: :ughcool: