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[7UpJordan]

Toyota leaving F1. Announcement inminent...perhaps tomorrow?

By The Offsider
November 3 2009
We hear from good sources that we may not even have to wait for Toyota's withdrawal announcement in the conference of the 8th November. It is a shock even for us that the announcement may even happen in hours, maybe late tomorrow... But it's logical, given the decision period is now over. Stay tuned! We have heard that in fact people from the team have started sending their CV's...

That is because the decision about Toyota's has been made already. The only question is when it will be announced.

Updates and more detailed info to come very soon!

On a final note, it is very sad that the Hinwil workers (the factory of Sauber in Switzerland) are saved by a situation very similar to what happened in very late July. Hopefully Toyota will re-focus those jobs into other areas such as...Le Mans?

http://www.f1network.net/main/s491/st151273.htm

I have to say I knew Toyota's future in F1 was in doubt, but I didn't expect an announcement this soon!

[Gaz]

looks like Sauber is in then.

[Jensonb]

I thought the announcement was coming out on like the 7th? They've really moved it up if this is true

[Frosty]

Yeah I wasn't expecting an announcement on the teams future until the Toyota 2010 budgets are done which I thought wasn't for a few more days.

[7UpJordan]

looks like Sauber is in then.

On paper, definately.

But with all the question marks around Quadbak, let's hope these "new owners" of the team actually show up.

[myownalias]

I was hoping that Toyota would stick around; mainly to see Kamui Kobayashi drive for a whole season; I doubt anyone else will give the Japanese a drive!

[cap-dude]

I was hoping that Toyota would stick around; mainly to see Kamui Kobayashi drive for a whole season; I doubt anyone else will give the Japanese a drive!

Agreed, and deserves a drive so much. We can only hope that he is picked up by another team.

All the same, I really hope this isn't true, but it's been coming.

[f1usa]

I thought the announcement was coming out on like the 7th? They've really moved it up if this is true

Looks like this is true, back in April 09 Toyota was seeking financial assistance from the Japanese government.

[Rivelution]

I was hoping that Toyota would stick around; mainly to see Kamui Kobayashi drive for a whole season; I doubt anyone else will give the Japanese a drive!

I agree. Looks like he will be fearing for his career yet again, poor guy.

When asked that if there had been no F1 chance for next year would he have returned to GP2, Kobayashi said: "No, no, no. I have no budget, no budget. So I cannot drive GP2 for next year.

"I would probably go back to Japan to maybe work with my father in his sushi restaurant! It was like that two months ago, seriously. When I was 16 years old, I worked there - making sushi!"

Kobayashi has said he knew that, after a disappointing campaign in GP2 this year, he needed to impress in his two race outings for Toyota.

"That was why for two weeks I was always in Germany [at Toyota's factory]," he said. "I came back to my home for just one day. Then I was in Germany for briefings. At that moment, I didn't know if I would be able to drive – but in case I was driving I knew I had one chance to show what I could do.

"So I had to think, I had to organise it before and understand what was happening. I had to do everything to understand what the problems were in Interlagos, and if I had the chance – everything, tyre work, car set-up, I worked on."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79976

[Amanda]

I was hoping that Toyota would stick around; mainly to see Kamui Kobayashi drive for a whole season; I doubt anyone else will give the Japanese a drive!

I agree. Looks like he will be fearing for his career yet again, poor guy.

When asked that if there had been no F1 chance for next year would he have returned to GP2, Kobayashi said: "No, no, no. I have no budget, no budget. So I cannot drive GP2 for next year.

"I would probably go back to Japan to maybe work with my father in his sushi restaurant! It was like that two months ago, seriously. When I was 16 years old, I worked there - making sushi!"

Kobayashi has said he knew that, after a disappointing campaign in GP2 this year, he needed to impress in his two race outings for Toyota.

"That was why for two weeks I was always in Germany [at Toyota's factory]," he said. "I came back to my home for just one day. Then I was in Germany for briefings. At that moment, I didn't know if I would be able to drive – but in case I was driving I knew I had one chance to show what I could do.

"So I had to think, I had to organise it before and understand what was happening. I had to do everything to understand what the problems were in Interlagos, and if I had the chance – everything, tyre work, car set-up, I worked on."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/79976

I hope he doesn't have to go back to his dad's sushi restaurant. I was really looking forward to seeing more of him, it's looking doubtful that we'll get the chance now.

[Gaz]

I was hoping that Toyota would stick around; mainly to see Kamui Kobayashi drive for a whole season; I doubt anyone else will give the Japanese a drive!

I think he'll get a seat in F1 even if Toyota leave.

If not he'll at least get a paid drive in Gp2 or back to Japan for a Formula Nippon drive perhaps?

[yamashek]

Kobayashi in F1 please!!!!!

Maybe Kobayashi in the 'new' Sauber team?!

[Jensonb]

Once you have no budget, your life on the ladder becomes a hell. Button came into F1 too early because there was no budget for anything else, and through connections he he managed to get some F1 Test Drives and eventually the race seat. Had JB not managed tog et into F1, he'd have been forgotten, despite the fact that he had been one of motorsport's biggest rising stars. Kamui's shot in the Toyota looks to have been about the same, unfortunately with them pulling out and him lacking a budget, it will take some stars aligning to salvage his racing career - especially coming out of Japan, from whence it is notoriously difficult to get ahead, particularly in F1. Hopefully someone will have recognised the talent and give him a drive - if not in F1 then in one of the smaller leagues such as F2, GP2 or something like that.

[cap-dude]

I was hoping that Toyota would stick around; mainly to see Kamui Kobayashi drive for a whole season; I doubt anyone else will give the Japanese a drive!

I think he'll get a seat in F1 even if Toyota leave.

If not he'll at least get a paid drive in Gp2 or back to Japan for a Formula Nippon drive perhaps?

As far as I know, GP2 doesn't work like that. You have to pay to race in Gp2, and it's not cheap.

Not only that, if Toyota pull out, that'll not be good for Kobayashi either, since he'll lose his main backing. But I'm hoping we see the opposite here. Hopefully the Toyota team can say, we're hiring an extremely talented young Japanese driver, and hopefully the Toyota board see the potential there. Successful Japanese driver in a successful Japanese team.

[Big Azza]

I don't think that Toyota are withdrawing.