Toyota Pull Out of F1
 

Another one bites the dust, that's all Japanese involvement gone.. (Bridgestone leave next year).

They couldn't carry on with the money they were spending with so little success.

I've also Renault are making a decision this week.. Wouldn't miss Renault..

I've also heard Toyota via Lexus are hoping to race at Le Mans next year :D

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Nooooooo!!!

who is going to give Kobayashi a drive now?.... :(

a dark day for F1, alsmost as dark as when NPQJ got kicked out :(

Opens up a spot for BMW's new owners though...

Sportscars, Sebring and Le Mans..

Wouldn't say it's a dark day as for the amount of money they have spent they haven't even delivered a win.

I just hope someone has the sense to get Kobayashi in an F1 car for 2010.

He's mental (and quite good) and exciting to watch!

I second that Chris, that's exactly what I was thinking, word for word :thumbsup:

Hamilton and Kobayashi!!

Exactly what I thought when I heard the (not too surprising tbh) news :cry::cry:

Can we have a word with Cree about a STR drive? :thumbsup:

G

Not really up to me!

I'd love to see him in F1 next year though, just probably not in one of our cars!

Bad times for the guys at Toyota, lots of them too. Amazing that they were the team who objected so strongly to the 40 million budget cap, then pull out a year later due to costs :bored:

i guess thats one less team open to Raikonen :)

The doors are wide open for Team Oople now. I'm sure if we all contributed a few quid we could raise the necessary team budget..assume we'd be ok running Lipo's? :D

I thought Raikonen was going back to Maclaren, that'd be a team hard to beat :thumbsup:

I don't think Raikonnen really gives a monkeys about it all to be honest. If I were a team principal that would be a big problem for me if I was considering him. Yes, when he is in the mood he can be truly inspiring but lets be honest, the more successful he's been the less he seems to be in the mood. The last time he seemed genuinely interested was when he was thrashing a Punto rally car about - perhaps he really does need to consider a new challenge even if only for a year to regain some interest for F1.

I think Audi have never got into F1 because - understandably - it is too far removed from their core customer base to be commercially worthwhile. I reckon even Ferrari's tenuous link with the win-on-Sunday-drive-on-Monday ethos is getting a bit thin now. When I see a Ferrari California (OK maybe I only see them on Forza 3 but still) I don't automatically think of a magnificent GP car thrapping through the tunnel at Monaco, I think pretentious overpaid tosspot spoilt brat Premiership footballer/WAG.

Nay, no KERS next year :p

Bayashi and Button in BrawnGP :thumbsup:

Now that would be interesting!

First key move was Alonso to Ferrari. Driver shake-up won't move much now until Brawn declare their duo. Rumours are they are waiting for Mercedes to take a (large!) stake, but it's not happened yet. One reason they haven't declared Rosberg as their rumoured driver is maybe because they're waiting for some money? If it doesn't arrive...? I wonder of that's why we haven't heard who the drivers are for all the new teams?

Sorry to see Toyota go, but as their 'green' credentials (Prius et al) go higher, and their success on the F1 track didn't, one could imagine that there was more than money to consider.

Audi? Audis are, according to Top Gear, driven by cocks. Cocks don't usually like F1. Simples... ;) :D

And there's a big possibility that RENAULT might pull out as well --->

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/moto...ne/8343221.stm

If they do, unsure what will happen to Kubica :(

I think that seeing as renault have just signed Kubica I doubt the would pull out, otherwise they wouldn't have named any drivers....just like Toyota.

Toyota pulling out wasn't a big suprise.
I think Kobayashi will deffo get a drive next year, going on his recent amazing performance.

I think Raikkonen needs to be at mclaren to be honest. They need a bloody good driver line up to take on the Ferraris of Alonso and Massa next year. I think if he go back to mclaren, they would tell him that he needs to get back into being serious about it. Sure that would be part of the deal.

What happened to STR being axed after this year? This was supposed to be their final year if I remember rightly.:confused: Because Red Bull wanted to concentrate all their effort onto the main team.

Renault may pull out as a full team owner, and go to just supplying engines though.

has no one noticed that rubans has signed for williams and now they have no engines!
wise move there!

Cosworth...

They are going to use cosworth next year

All their design effort anyway.

'On a slight side note. Does anybody know why Audi have never been rumoured with F1? After all; they've had so much success in the past decade with Touring and Le Mans.'



They have in a way, VW have been linked with a move to F1 a couple of times and they both come under the VAG group banner. Seems VAG allocate each marque with a different area of motor racing, ie Audi do sportscars, Seat do touring cars, Skoda do rallying and VW have Dakar and engine supply to F3.

I would imagine it wont be long until VAG/VW are linked with a move to F1 again, with the constant cost cutting measures being introduced and the raft of new independant teams just waiting for a big manufacurer take over.