Toyota: Deep pockets, poor results

If money was everything, this team would be No 1. A team which boasts of the biggest budget in Formula One, Toyota F1 are yet to match even half of the millions they have spent since their debut season in 2002.
That first foray in Formula One was not on expected lines for the Toyota bosses as they have had a long and bright history in other forms of motorsport. For a team which had seven titles in the World Rally Championship, a presence in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours and the CART series, this was an absolute zero. Heads rolled as both drivers were sacked.
A glimpse of their true capability came in their second season. With Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta, the team pulled up their socks and put in some strong performances that year. The team finished fifth and sixth in Germany and qualified third and fourth in Suzuka. It even lead the British Grand Prix for 18 laps. Eventually, the team made an improvement from their debut year when they finished two places up at eighth in the Constructor"s standings.
That showing made even the bosses boast that Toyota would score points in every race the next season. How they had to eat their words as, in 2004, the team took a step backward. They could only manage nine points in all that season, and even a struggling team like Jaguar scored more. The year also had a series of driver changes mid-season with Ricardo Zonta replacing Matta. Then Jarno Trulli raced in the final two rounds, replacing Zonta for Japan and Panis for Brazil.
Toyota put their faith in the ���other" Schumacher ��� Ralf, Michael"s younger brother. Ralf, along with Trulli, did not disappoint. The duo were right on the job in the 2005 season, their best season till date. They had two pole positions and five podium finishes. Toyota had another wretched year in 2006. The change to one single tyre supplier in Bridgestone too didn"t help as the team struggled to adapt. Ralf did show a ray of light when he finished eighth in Malaysia and third in Australia. That was to be Toyota"s first and last top-three result of the season. But three races into the season, technical director severed ties with the team because of internal strife. The team did improve in the later half of the season in qualifying but the race pace wasn"t there. Also, the team was dogged with technical and mechanical problems and dropped to sixth in the standings.
The next year, 2007, got worse. The team managed just seven points-scoring finishes in 17 races. But with not a single podium finish, the team was clearly looking down the barrel. With patience running out, the team sacked Ralf while Trulli held onto his seat for 2008. Whether they spring up miracles this season with Trulli and Timo Glock is open for debate.