[WEC] Toyota LMP1 Discussion

[chernaudi]

Their top speed is competitive with Audi (Porsche are on another planet in terms of top speed due to running lower downforce than Audi), but it seems that something might be missing in the handling/grip department.

That is unless Toyota are sandbagging like last year.

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by GasperG

Sorry but it doesn't look to encouraging, the words from the drivers doesn't sound to good:
... but we have some work to do to find more pace ...
... Obviously we are not where we want to be ...
... I think we’re going in a positive direction ...
... I think we have a reasonable base for the weekend ...
... We have some homework to do ...
... Today was okay for us ...
... The car feels okay but I think we’ve got some things to do ...

Straight from the Toyota Hybrid website as well. Maybe one of the sandbags burst and now the car is silted to the gills.

I'd say that matching top speed with Audi is most puzzling - with aero traditionally a strong point of the TMG cars you would expect either a significantly better top speed for the same sort of lap time or a better lap time with similar top speed.

[Giba]

Originally Posted by TF110

It will. The image shows the name- Toyota GAZOO Racing

Ah, that makes a lot of sense then thanks

Also, the Toyota hospitality has a picture of every Toyota car to have raced at Le Mans on the side of it. A nice touch of Toyota to celebrate their history.

[cokata]

Originally Posted by GasperG

Sorry but it doesn't look to encouraging, the words from the drivers doesn't sound to good:
... but we have some work to do to find more pace ...
... Obviously we are not where we want to be ...
... I think we’re going in a positive direction ...
... I think we have a reasonable base for the weekend ...
... We have some homework to do ...
... Today was okay for us ...
... The car feels okay but I think we’ve got some things to do ...

As i said after the prologue, if they were sandbagging they wouldn't be doing it by over 3+ seconds. Also their long runs didn't look good at the prologue and here. Audi will take the race comfortably, porsche might have a chance for pole but on race pace the audis look much better. I was also expecting after last year that audi will be much stronger in '15.

[Bandicoot17]

Looking at the T+S from last year shows that Toyota were messing around a second off the pace as well (even in FP3). They did it at Spa as well, and Fuji (where they qualified 2 seconds faster than their FP2 time). Only once we got to the newer F1 tracks did they start to show some pace in FP sessions.

So they have a history for doing this sort of stuff. I guess we won't really know until quali tomorrow if they're playing games or not though.

[MyNameIsNigel]

I would expect Toyota to improve in FP3 and qualifying practice. The current pace over long stints is - one has to admit - not very impressive at the moment. Still, tire wear management is going to play a more important role this year with the limited number of tire sets available for qualification and the race, and Toyota may have been focussing on finding the right set-up for the race.

[TF110]

No one knows but Toyota. I will say that the driver comments read the same from almost every practice session last season. This being the first race I wouldnt even worry if theyre not going as quick in practice. Qualifying and the race are another story. But then again, its the only high d/f track before LM, so who knows what the low d/f package is like. Ideal laps are 1:41.9 though, so the pace is surely there.

[Bandicoot17]

from: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sdext...472?fref=photo

[insane014]

They are not sandbagging, they genuinely lack some pace. Those FP times are not something you can over come with a few wrench tweaks. Audi and Porsche did some radical improvements to their setups while Toyo went "safe route" by trying to polish their last season winning car. Like I said before 8MJ was a must.

This will be 2013 all over again for them.

[TF110]

We'll see. Everyone thought they were off pace last year as well.

[Hiro]

In quali, Kazuki is extremely fast except blocked in S3 (#1 ideal lap time is 1.39.7).
toyotas second drivers all improve lap times unlike many of competitors. Tyre degradation is the key to win

[TF110]

I was just about to post that He must have been blocked on his flying lap to be 6 tenths down on Davidson's s3. Or they didnt hook up the lap all the way. But best sectors equal 1:39.7, which is second best.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by TF110

We'll see. Everyone thought they were off pace last year as well.

I agree, we have 6 hours on Sunday to figure this out and I'll hold my judgment until then. One thing is for sure is that the 3 factories have upped the pace this year and it will be a battle

[TF110]

Our thoughts on Nakajima being blocked or losing out from traffic seem to be true, his comments say exactly that.

Kazuki Nakajima: “I’m a little bit surprised to have such a strong qualifying pace; it’s better than we anticipated. I’m happy with the car and with the session. It’s a pity I lost a little time through the traffic in the final sector of my lap. Without that we could have got second place but it’s a long race and our performance level seems strong which is a good sign. I’m looking forward to an exciting race.”

[TF110]

Racer.com has a good interview with Pascal Vasselon. He confirms that 80-85% of the car is brand new and another interesting fact is the power is 50-50 between hybrid and engine. So over 500hp for each the v8 and the capacitor!

In other news, sportscar365 confirms a renaming for Toyota's wec team to Toyota Gazoo Racing beginning next year, but the Gazoo branding will be on the car starting at Spa with new team gear at Le Mans.

[flyingshoppingcart]

Well looks like another rubbish season for Toyota coming up.

That was a disappointing Silverstone race for them. Toyota simply did not have the pace to catch the top Audi and Porsche. It seems like Toyota got too comfortable with last year's car and got complacent and a bit too comfortable for this year.

I fear Toyota may never learn. They need to be a bit more radical with their car from year-to-year, and they also need to increase the team's budget.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by TF110

In other news, sportscar365 confirms a renaming for Toyota's wec team to Toyota Gazoo Racing beginning next year, but the Gazoo branding will be on the car starting at Spa with new team gear at Le Mans.

Would that go as far as a new livery?

[Acid09]

Originally Posted by flyingshoppingcart

Well looks like another rubbish season for Toyota coming up.

Another? Like the last one?

Silverstone is not very indicative of Toyota's performance, the lack of hard braking zones is a big problem for them.

I think it's safe to say that they don't have a dominant car this year but they might very well be up there. One thing to consider is that Toyota had zero technical problems, Porsche & Audi had severe problems with one of their cars.

Counting them out after one single race is really silly.

[flyingshoppingcart]

Originally Posted by Acid09

Another? Like the last one?

Silverstone is not very indicative of Toyota's performance, the lack of hard braking zones is a big problem for them.

I think it's safe to say that they don't have a dominant car this year but they might very well be up there. One thing to consider is that Toyota had zero technical problems, Porsche & Audi had severe problems with one of their cars.

Counting them out after one single race is really silly.

Let's be honest, last year's season was quite an exception, going by past Toyota WEC history. Last season was the first time ever that Toyota won the WEC championship, and the first time ever a Japanese team had done so. Before that, all those other years Toyota participated in the WEC, they had very little to show for it. Even so, last year Toyota still could not win Le Mans.

Last year's car for Toyota was a radical change compared to the 2013 car. This year's car is a much smaller step up.

Yes, but consider that last year Toyota won Silverstone, even though this track is not one of their strong ones.

Yes Toyota did have good reliability, but it's a 6 hour race, it means little. How well will their reliability hold up in Le Mans over 24 hours?

Sure both Porsche and Audi had reliability problems with one car each, but the fact is the other remaining cars for both Porsche and Audi *did* have the reliability, and they also had the pace which Toyota could not match.

What do you think will happen at Le Mans, where both Audi and Porsche will have 3 cars each versus 2 for Toyota? Both Audi and Porsche at Le Mans will have a fair bit of luxury and freedom. Even if they both lose 2 cars each at Le Mans due to reliability for example (bad case scenario), they'd still have one car each on the field.

We shall see what happens, but my hopes are not high.

Now yes I know the old saying that to finish first, first you have to finish. However I also know the other old racing saying, that it's easier to make a fast, problematic car reliable, than to make a slow, reliable car fast.

[bentley speed 8]

I think they will be in the hunt this year too, even though they may not have the same advantage as they had last year.

[flyingshoppingcart]

I'd rather keep my hopes low. If Toyota somehow pulls off a miracle at Le Mans, great.

If Toyota disappoints, then it will be just like so many of their past seasons in WEC.

I'd rather not keep my hopes high. Not until (or if) Toyota finally wins at Le Mans.

[cokata]

Originally Posted by bentley speed 8

I think they will be in the hunt this year too, even though they may not have the same advantage as they had last year.

Toyota have about as much chance of winning a dry race this year on merit, as Willams do in F1.

[Acid09]

Originally Posted by flyingshoppingcart

If Toyota disappoints, then it will be just like so many of their past seasons in WEC.

Again, which seasons are you talking about?

They raced a grand total of three (two and a half to be precise), did extremely well for a newcomer in 2012, 2013 was a bit of a disappointment and they completely dominated 2014 and won everything but Le Mans (where they had the fastest cars as well).

[MyNameIsNigel]

Originally Posted by Acid09

Another? Like the last one?

Silverstone is not very indicative of Toyota's performance, the lack of hard braking zones is a big problem for them.

I think it's safe to say that they don't have a dominant car this year but they might very well be up there. One thing to consider is that Toyota had zero technical problems, Porsche & Audi had severe problems with one of their cars.

Counting them out after one single race is really silly.

I have to agree with you. Don't count Toyota out. The performance was not there at Silverstone, but this track does not suit Toyota.

We will experience a very interesting battle between the three manufacturers this season, with a much closer fight at the top.

[bentley speed 8]

Weren't the Audis pretty much off-pace the whole of last year? Yet they still managed to win two races last year, including Le Mans.

I don't think it's time to talk so negatively about Toyota after just one race, where they still managed to get both cars to the finish without problems, unlike both Audi and Porsche.

I would be more worried about Nissan....