Toyota's Livery

[cy bais]

Is it me or does Toyota's livery suck. Let's hope the car will do better than last year. :)

[jens]

I'm not a philologist in English, but am I right that when people use the word "livery", then they mean the colour theme?

Anyway. I have my point of view about Toyota. The "problem", if I can use the word so, with Toyota and why they are so generally disliked, is that they are keen on their national traditions. Their style of management, colour theme, conservatism, working methods, whatever. To western people that all seems quite strange and most of them have started to dislike Toyota. For many western people it's attractive, when a team changes it's colour theme every year. Maybe for Japanese conservatism is attractive? Toyota is said to be boring and dull, because they are there "only on advertising purposes". Like the other factory teams and sponsors aren't? And after all a question to more experienced F1-viewers: McLaren stayed the similar red and white for more than 20 years. Was anyone complaining?

I have said it somewhere in the past, but the Japanese racing tradition is in build-up phase. Toyota is in disregard of against most western people's expectations or wishes trying to be part of that build-up. From there derive the traditional colours, then have their own young drivers' programme, mainly consisting of Japanese (only Ryan Briscoe in the past was one of the rare non-Japanese examples). Toyota with current methods is struggling to make a breakthrough. Btw, the same can be said about Honda. Don't know, why Honda is rated so much higher - IMO both Japanese teams classify into the same group with Honda having a lot more racing experience from the past than Toyota, which might make them look stronger. Being a rare example here, I like and support Japanese and their tradition and usually I can't be against them at sport events. I'm looking forward to see them establishing their racing culture that can be compared to Europe's. Japan as a top-class industrial state rised into the highly-developed nations in Europe and North America later and now they are very highly rated at many areas. In Formula One the Japanese are still some kind of laughingstocks, but I hope and believe that one day - it may take even 10 or 20 years, but the time will come! - Japanese will be as serious competitors as others and the teams from the Western world will be having a lot of thinking, how to stop the march of Japanese. And if that day arrives, Toyota & co have to be thanked for setting the start for that - the beginning is the most difficult period!

Toyota might never become successful (I have been hyping them quite a lot, but I don't think I have ever even hinted that I'm expecting them to win the title - but on the contrary I do disagree with those, who say that they'll finish somewhere down in 8th position in the WCC - they ain't that bad!), but they are doing a lot of job for the future of Japanese motorsport. Often one fact is forgotten - unlike BMW, Renault, Jaguar, RBR etc Toyota has built up it's team from absolute zero! Btw, the same can be said about Super Aguri! And it's a lot different from buying a team. Many of the workers in Toyota (and also Aguri) had never worked in F1 before and where do they get the experience? From working in a national F1 team for gaining experience. Toyota might not become successful, but the experience they have gained, will be given forward to the next generation and maybe then another Japanese car manufacturer will enter (if not Toyota again) and become more successful, making therefore a step forward. With starting from zero, it's very tough to get to the top level nowadays, although people are always expecting big things from Toyota. Waiting and taking time? Well, the same highly rated Williams - now having a partnership with Toyota - started in 1973 and only in 1979 became a threat for title challengers. And who are they now - one of the most successful teams of all times.

Maybe on this forum there are Japanese, who can correct or/and specify my thoughts.

P.S. Sorry that I went slightly off-topic, but I felt that it was about time to do some more explaining about the Toyota F1 Racing Team, who somehow has got the reputation of being "one bad team among ten good ones". I would be glad if someone comments this piece of text and why not says his/her (different) opinion.

[K-Pu]

At least their livery isn´t a clone like McLaren / Midland last year, or BMW / Williams...

But I still don´t like it :D

[RJL25]

jens - its not that people dont like toyota the car company, its just that 95% of the cars they make are overly boring appliances on wheels. Hence no one really cares about toyota the car company.

the reason people dont like toyota the F1 team, is because they are the best funded, best resourced team in F1, yet not only have they never been competitive, they have also never looked competitive! Toyota could have solved world hunger with the money they have spent on F1!!!

[cos]

Is it me or does Toyota's livery suck. Let's hope the car will do better than last year. :)

It's not the most exciting, but sticking with the same style livery for years builds up a brand identity which I guess is important.


jens - its not that people dont like toyota the car company, its just that 95% of the cars they make are overly boring appliances on wheels. Hence no one really cares about toyota the car company.

Yet they are still the 2nd biggest car manufacturer on the planet!

I found a good column on SpeedTV's website the other day which discussed the F1 teams' livery from the POV of a motorsport columnist, professional livery designer, and a couple of guys in the fashion industry. Worth a read! http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/35239/

[ioan]

... yet not only have they never been competitive, they have also never looked competitive!

Yes they did on a couple of occasions.


Toyota could have solved world hunger with the money they have spent on F1!!!

This goes for all of them, with more than 4 billions of $ spent each year, F1 is one of the biggest money wasting activity there is.
Imagine what could have been done only with the money they spent in the last 10 seasons!

[jens]

At least some reaction, guys. :)


the reason people dont like toyota the F1 team, is because they are the best funded, best resourced team in F1, yet not only have they never been competitive, they have also never looked competitive! Toyota could have solved world hunger with the money they have spent on F1!!!

From where comes the myth that Toyota is rich and other factory teams are poor compared to them? The six factory teams are very closely matched by their budgets and Toyota's is not the largest! I'd say that all the factory teams are very well funded and have nearly equally all the resources to be successful (which they can't be simultaneously), others are more or less struggling.

Yep, Toyota had clearly the largest budget in 2002, but they reduced it significantly for 2003, because they had built up all the infrastructure that was in process during 2001-2002. Therefore before 2002 there was a lot of hype about their budget and it has somehow transformed into today as people still seem to think that they are a lot richer than others. Other recently joined factory teams - who have bought another team - haven't needed to build the whole infrastructure and therefore didn't need an extra huge budget at the start.

Well, and in 2005 they were pretty competitive. :) Although not in title form, but still. I'd say that among factory teams more likely Jaguar (00-04) and Alfa Romeo (79-85) never showed themselves as being a serious threat to top teams, although even they had sometimes some sparks, which indicated that maybe they might start challenging!

[RJL25]

jaguar was never a really serious attempt at a factory F1 team. Ford where spending more money on corporate hospitality then they where on the actual race team half the time it seemed! Jag was never more then a publicity thing, Ford didnt really care if they won or lost

And toyota is still generally acknowledged as having the biggest budget, although yes they dont spend as much as they did during the setup phase.

What my understanding is that toyota basically have an open cheque book, within reason, for their F1 program, they just obviously dont USE all of the money available to them, but the point is that its available if they want it. Toyota very much has the mentality of win at all costs. If the F1 team went to toyota management and said "we need an extra 50million" they would get it providing they can justify it.

[Hawkmoon]

It's not the most exciting, but sticking with the same style livery for years builds up a brand identity which I guess is important.



Yet they are still the 2nd biggest car manufacturer on the planet!

I found a good column on SpeedTV's website the other day which discussed the F1 teams' livery from the POV of a motorsport columnist, professional livery designer, and a couple of guys in the fashion industry. Worth a read! http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/35239/

That is a pretty interesting article. I particularly like this bit:


Also, the chrome look tends to blend into the asphalt, especially on TV. What’s next for McLaren – adding wood paneling to boost the status-symbol feel of the car?”

Go on Ron, PLEASE add wood paneling to the car! It will look great. Honest. :D

[Ranger]

Toyota should scrap Esso and put the '98-'99 Castrol Toyota WRC livery on the car.

Which might get some support, notably from me.

[GRAVETT]

i feel the whole outfit at toyota is lacking in all areas not just the livery. ive witnessed them at many tests and races and they look lost. its a real shame that a team with such a huge budget cannot make it work for them on the track. my feelings are that a lack of passion is one of the prominent factors in toyotas problematic f1 effort.
the car infront is most definatly not a toyota

[GRAVETT]

i feel the whole outfit at toyota is lacking in all areas not just the livery. ive witnessed them at many tests and races and they look lost. its a real shame that a team with such a huge budget cannot make it work for them on the track. my feelings are that a lack of passion is one of the prominent factors in toyotas problematic f1 effort.
the car infront is most definatly not a toyota

[wedge]

White with a splash of red has been Japan's traditional racing colours, just like British Racing Green and the Silver Arrows of Auto Union/Audi/Mercedes-Benz.

Also, doesn't Honda brochures call their white trim something like Championship White/Grand Prix White?

[futuretiger9]

It may be harsh to say, but the new Toyota livery is in keeping with the general anaemia and inertia of their F1 programme. Doesn't exactly set the pulses racing, does it?

[wmcot]

I have to wonder if we would be bashing their color scheme if their cars had been dominant winners? Ferrari have been red forever (in one shade or another) and nobody bashes them because their livery is "boring."